Nighthawks: Special Unit
by Neo Madara Uchiha
Summary: Pain created them. Hatred fuelled them. And destiny united them. Haunted with their dark pasts, they venture the world in hope of finding peace for themselves and accomplishing revenge against those who wronged them. Probably not what you'll expect. Mega Crossover.
1. Chapter 1: Jailbreak

**Hi there guys! This is my first story in fanfiction.**

 **Hope you enjoy it!**

 **Edit: 9/7/2017: I just fixed some mistakes in the chapter that seemed somewhat stupid from my part. Special thanks to Fuyuriku for pointing them out. The content is still the same.  
**

"Oops…" – Talks

'Ooopsy…' – Thoughts

" **Blast!"** – Techniques

 **Nighthawks**

 **Chapter 1: Jailbreak**

Ishgar.

Such is the name of the eastern continent of Earth Land, the other being Alakitasia; the western continent. Presented as a very large peninsula surrounded by a number of scattered isles of varying sizes, Ishgar populace are capable of using Magic; a spiritual power that enable the users, who are named mages, to execute specific feats that are impossible to normal humans through an energy source called ethernano. Although, not everybody is capable of using magic, so mages' number is somewhat limited to approximately ten percent of the world's populace.

It is also home to many creatures that had developed through the age of magic. Some were evolved forms of past races, most prominent examples being Weretigers and Vulcan; evolutions of tigers and gorillas, respectively, while others are more of a cross between races created through Magic, like the Rollidillo, a fusion between a crocodile and an armadillo. Though the most impressive creatures of all are the dragons; Humungous flying scale covered reptiles that can destroy a whole town with a single attack

Sadly though, they are all extinct when the story begins, but anyway…

Ishgar itself is divided in multiple countries and kingdom, which are; Fiore, Bosco, Seven, Iceberg, Stella, Minstrel, Midi, Desierto, Joya, Bellum, Sin, Caelum and Enca. Each one had its own military and politic system, though they are all ruling their domain under the jurisdiction of the Magic Council, an organization that, more or less, acts as the ruling body of all of Earth Land, or as they dub it, 'The Magic World'.

However, no one in this era, except a selected few, knew of the Magic's origin and who created it. A person's whose tale is tainted with betrayal, lies, loss, loneliness, pain, hatred and more. A man, who was worshipped by humans as a god for centuries, yet was killed by their traitorous nature, giving birth to numerous tragic events that would forever more be engraved in humanity's history.

But to know about that man and his sorrowful story, we must follow another one; one of a group of mages venturing the world in search of two things; revenge against those who destroyed their lives and a meaning to their broken existence.

And this is where our tale begins…

* * *

 **Unknown Location – X784**

The sun had long since retreated from the sky, taking the radiant light of the day with him. The once blue heavens now embraced the darkness of the night, illuminated only by the pale full moon and the glinting stars. Soft and gentle winds traced the seawater surface; guiding minor waves of water toward a rocky surface where they crashed with a small noise.

Atop said rocky surface was located what appeared to be a prison. But judging by the patrols of guards in the external areas and the three cannons located on the west, it was more likely to assume the place was a fort of some kind. The place was quite big in size, containing three separate sections all atop one another, with the width of those sections decreasing from the ground floor to the upper.

Though, for the group that is coming in this direction, all these details were hardly an important matter.

Amidst the night sky, two objects were nearing the fort's position at a steady pace, almost two kilometer away from it. Well, not objects exactly. Rather birds, even if they were the weirdest kind of birds one would have seen around and we're talking about a world of magic here. They were featherless and pure white, and upon closer inspection, one would notice that each bird transported three crouching people on it.

"Neji." One of them spoke, apparently the leader of the group. He had spiky sun-kissed gold hair, electric blue eyes and very odd looking whisker marks scars on his cheeks; a reminiscent of a horrible event that would haunt him forever. He wore a black tight shirt under a short-sleeved black coat with the kanji of 'Fire' on his back and a red flame pattern around the hem, along with black fingerless gloves, black pants and black boots. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties; an age he shared with his team members.

The man he had addressed was a brown haired young man with blind looking eyes, though the truth was that it was his eye magic, the **Byakugan**. His attire was black like the whiskered blond, yet somewhat more traditional, consisting of a black kimono shirt with long loose sleeves and matching pants, a black headband around his forehead, a dark grey apron tied around his waist and finally black sandals.

As soon as the whiskered man spoke his name, veins bulged near his temple and his blind eyes took a more lavender shade. He narrowed his eyes at the fort ahead as he looking through the walls of its construction, his eyes shifting from zone to zone as he scanned everything within carefully, despite being on a distance of almost two kilometers; a perk of possessing his Eye magic. After all, he was the team's scout, and any mistake in his scan of enemy territory could beget fatal consequences.

"I see almost two hundred and thirty people inside, most of them with minor magic signatures. However, five of these signals are far much powerful, all S-class if I'm not mistaking. Our target is among them, locked in a cell in the west area of the third floor, with three cannons positioned nearby. The strongest of the other S-class signatures is located in the center of the second floor with a small number of minions, possibly the Watch room. The rest are patrolling the area carefully from both the inside and the outside, but overall it's nothing we cannot handle." The brown haired young man informed, getting a nod from the whiskered blond.

"That seems somewhat suspicious for me…" a red haired male stated calmly. His hair was combed and parted to the right, leaving enough space for the red kanji in the left side of his forehead to be apparent. Around his green eyes were weird looking black rings around his eyes. He wore a buttoned dark red trench coat with matching pants and boots.

"Oh please! Don't start with that pessimistic shit of yours again. I still haven't forgotten the last time you jinxed me with it." Another blond haired un-whiskered young man expressed angrily. One would almost mistake him for the whiskered blond because of their identical electric blue eyes and golden hair had it not been for his less spiky and less shinning golden hair, his heart shaped face that was different from the other's somewhat angular face, and lastly and most importantly, his lack of whiskers. His attire consisted of a full length black hooded coat with a waist high slit going up to the back and a large silver zipper, with black pants underneath it and black sneakers.

"Come on, Roxas, lighten up! It wasn't that bad, yeah!" A fifth person, another blond male, made his presence known. Seriously, where the hell did the author get all those blonds from?

Oh wait, I AM the author…

Hehe, my bad…

Anyway, this blond was somewhat feminine looking, especially his face. His long hair, which was almost the same shade of yellow as the whiskered blond, was tied in a ponytail that fell past his shoulders, a bang covering one of his slanted blue eyes. He wore an open black leather jacket over a V-neck, sleeveless, midriff shirt with mesh armour underneath it along with black pants and black boots.

The un-whiskered blond now known as Roxas glared lightly. "Easy for you to say, Deidara. You weren't the one who got almost raped by a crazy woman in a locked bar."

"Weren't you the one that wanted to go in alone, hmm?"

"So? I didn't know there was a cock carving bitch inside hell-bent on sucking me dry."

"I don't really see the problem in that situation. What, you're gay or something?" The sixth and final member of the group asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes. His white hair matched his pale skin color, even more under the light of the dazzling moon. He wore a long black and red coat with a red zip-up hoodie/vest hybrid underneath, and finally a pair of dark blue pants and combat boots.

On his back was strapped a sword, or rather a Great Knife judging by the design. The base was ornate and etched, as well as red colored, with no actual guard and a sharp curved blade that shone lightly under the moon's pale light.

"Are you guys done?" the whiskered blond demanded with a "Shut up or else" tone and glare, and naturally they all got the message and aborted the conversation.

"Good, now here's the plan. Nero and Gaara," the whiskered man glanced at the white haired man and the redhead respectively. "You two, along with Neji, would go in and create some ruckus on the first and the second floor, drawing as much enemies as possible to you. Roxas and I are going to make a detour then crash on the third floor shortly after and secure the target. And you Deidara, provide support if needed and secure our escape way. Got it?" He finished. Everybody nodded with eager looks on their faces, except Gaara whose lips curved upward ever so slightly.

"Alright people, let's do this!"

* * *

 **Watch Room**

 ** _Beep! Beep!_**

 ** _Beep! Beep!_**

 ** _Beep! Beep!_**

"Sir we have an emergency!" A guard stated as he checked the magic radar of the fort.

"What is it?" a middle aged man asked. He had medium length white hair that was slicked back, as well as a white moustache, a white beard and gray eyes. His attire consisted of a dark gray buttoned blazer over a white shirt, with dark gray pants and brown shoes. His hand was resting on a wooden cane with a golden tip, though anyone could clearly see that the man was not using it for its original purpose.

"An anonymous giant bird with three signals on it is approaching our position at twelve o'clock, four hundred meters away. It also had shown no sign of changing direction and is heading straight to us. Sir Divan, what are you orders?"

A frown marred the white haired man, now known as Divan, as he processed the information he just heard. "It is quite obvious from its pattern that those who are riding this bird are aware of this fort's existence, something we cannot allow. Order all our front units to shoot it down immediately. Also, tell Sindia to guard our prisoner with the units near her position."

"Yes sir." the guard acknowledged before spreading the orders via the announcement lachryma. "Attention, all units in sectors one, three, five and six. We have confirmed a suspicious volatile nearing our position. Proceed to the defensive positions near the front gate and fire until it the target is terminated."

 ** _Line-Break_**

 **Front Gate**

Almost immediately after hearing the announcement, the guards of the aforementioned sectors hurried to the outside, all holding their magic rifles and ready to engage. But because of the darkness of the night, most of them couldn't perceive the volatile they were told of, as such… "There it is. Over there!" one of the guard shouted.

…Never mind.

Aiming at the target, the guards let loose countless magical bullets, all soaring like a myriad of shooting stars in the direction of the incoming hostile bird which carried none other than Nero, Gaara and Neji, all of them unfazed by the nearing projectiles of magic.

"Are they seriously thinking that this is going to stop us?" Nero asked with a dry chuckle. He reared his right arm back; a demonic arm to be precise, with sky blue skin covered with what appeared to be a red armor of some sort and vibrant blue claws, and channeled his magic into it.

"Hey morons, one giant fist coming right up!" In a swift movement, Nero punched forward, sending a big, as in VERY BIG, spectral punch of his demonic arm toward the incoming projectiles. The magic bullets couldn't even slow the fist down as it continued to speed downwards in the forts direction, brushing all projectiles in its way as if they were flies. And needless to say, this fact disturbed the guards greatly.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

"Who gives a damn?! Shoot it down!"

"Are you blind you idiot?! The bullets don't work on that shit!"

"EVERYBODY RETREAT NOW!"

Agreeing with that last guard, all guards withdrew from their positions and into the fort, but unfortunately or fortunately depending on your opinion, some weren't fast enough and, alongside the door and nearby walls, suffered the wrath of a giant fist crashing on them.

And let me inform you fellas, it hurts like a bitch.

The power of the impact was so great that created a clear entry for our trio because of the now destroyed steel main gate, a testimony to the power that the spectral fist possessed. The giant white bird landed graciously on that position and the trio jumped from it to the ground and dashed quickly to the destroyed front door, entering a large hallway and proceeding forward for a while before something caught Neji's attention.

"What the…?" he muttered while still running, sensing something above them. He raised his head to inspect the source, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Incoming!"

The ceiling above them crashed and two blurs dove down on the ground, creating a crater upon impacting and generating a lot of dust in the process. Fortunately for them, the trio stopped just in time to avoid being used as the blur's impact cushion, thanks to Neji's Eye Magic and his quick reflexes.

"Damn, what a cliché flashy entrance…" Nero stated as he coughed lightly.

"Tell me about it…" Neji added.

Gaara for his part was the only one not fazed by the dust around and gazed emotionlessly with crossed arms at the two people that stood before them, blocking the path to the main gate the trio walked through not so long ago.

The first was a muscular but lean black haired man with brown eyes. He wore nothing on his upper body, displaying the numerous scars and tattoos on his torso. White bandages covered his hands but not the fingers, and over the bandages he had yellow vambraces with a black dragon tattoo on the backside. His black pants were held with a red rope tied tightly around them, and finally red leg warmers and shoes.

The other was a tall and bulky brown haired man with matching eyes and a bit of facial hair. His attire consists of a full-length white coat with a blue belt on his waist and white shoes. On his back was a giant single-edged broadsword with a golden hilt and guard, as well as golden markings on the blade and a shining extremity.

"Halt! You three intruders shall step no further in this base. For I, the wild tiger Koki, and my colleague Kolotz here will eliminate you." The man known as Koki declared as he stepped into a fighting stance.

"Yeah, just like the shrimp said." Kolotz stated with a smirk that caused his partner to gain a tick mark. Must the taller man always refer to his shorter size in front of everyone?

"I don't know if you two dumbasses noticed or not, but the path you should have blocked is over…there…" Nero jabbed a finger backward – the direction they were running to not so long ago, only to hear a lot of footsteps echoing in the hallway. He glanced back, and found Neji starring annoyingly at an incoming group of over a hundred guards running down the stairs leading to the upper floor. "Oh…"

"It seems that you have realized the situation you are in, haven't you? We have you rats completely surrounded." Kolotz stated as he pulled his large weapon and readied himself for engaging. "I hope you three can put on a worthy fight, or else this will end quickly!"

Kolotz charged in shortly after finishing his sentence, followed closely by his partner Koki, with the guards on the other side starting firing a hail of magic bullets. The trio didn't just stand there of course, and immediately self-appointed themselves an enemy, or enemies in the guards' case, with Nero charging at Kolotz on a fierce deadlock with their respective blades, Neji engaging Koki in a hand to hand combat, and Gaara taking on the hundred incoming guards with a wave of his special red sand.

* * *

 **Watch Room**

 ** _Beep! Beep!_**

 ** _Beep! Beep!_**

 ** _Beep! Beep!_**

"What it is it now?" Divan demanded angrily. It was bad enough that he will have to report for his superiors that three intruders have successfully localized the fort's position, destroyed the main gate and killed a number of his troops; he didn't need any more problems to add for the list.

He knew though that if they preserved their prisoner then the higher-ups would overlook everything else. If they did lose him though, it would lead to less than pleasant consequences; ones he would rather avoid.

"Sir Divan! We have another volatile similar to the last one nearing our position from nine o'clock." The guard reported with a shocked voice.

"Then what are you waiting for, you idiot!? Eliminate it with the cannons positioned there!" The white haired man ordered.

The guard, fearful of his superior's wrath, quickly began executing his orders…

 **BOOOM!**

…Only for an explosion to greet their ears. They weren't harmed as they were quite remote from the blast radius, though the same cannot be said about the trio of cannons…

"What in the world? What just happened now?" Divan raged as his subordinate cowered before him.

"I-I don't-t know s-sir, something have exploded the cannons from the outside. It's not my fault!" The subordinate stammered, hoping that he will not be on the receiving end of his leader's fury.

Unknown to both of them, the cannons' destruction was a courtesy of the white bird where the trio of intruders landed not so long ago. Shortly after, it morphed into three smaller birds with very condensed magical signatures that made them very hard to detect by any kind of magical radar. They then flew to the west cannons and hid inside, waiting for Deidara's signal to accomplish their "artistic purpose" with a bang.

Divan, angered even more by the news, growled and slammed his cane on the ground. "Blast it! Tell Sindia to ready herself to engage whatever this bird is carrying, and also tell her that I will personally assist her in this task." He declared before stomping out of the room.

 ** _Line-Break_**

 **Third Floor**

"…Dammit! Why did these bastards have to attack just a week after I was assigned to this place?" One of the guards ranted for the fifth time as he hurried with his group to the prisoner's sector.

"Because they give shit about you, that's why! Now shut your damn mouth and stop bitching about the situation already. We need to haul ass to Lady Sindia's location and provide necessary support if you wanna get out of this situation alive." Another guard yelled back at the first one that spoke, earning a growl from him and snickers from the rest at the first part.

" **Barrier Surge!"**

The guards halted their steps when they heard a nearby yell and readied their rifles to attack. To their surprise, the right wall a few meters ahead was blasted away as what appeared to be a transparent spherical bubble crashed into it, dissolving a second later and revealing two black clad blond haired men.

Taking advantage of the momentary stunned state of the guards, the whiskered blond quickly ignited his right arm in dazzling golden yellow flames before aimed it forward, a matching magic seal appearing before it.

" **Hiken (Fire Fist)!"** Just as the name stated, a blazing fist soared from his hand to the guards, its speed too quick for the fifteen guards to dodge, and so they did the only thing they could; scream like a bunch of scared school girls.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

After but a few seconds, nothing remained of the once fifteen men but their ashes and the foul smell of their burnt flesh and blood as well as some lingering flames on the ground; all in all, it was a sight most mages would have paled at and perhaps even fainted. Though that hardly fazed the two blonds; their childhood was full of similar sights so they grew somewhat accustomed to it.

As such, they straightened themselves and began running in the direction of their target, which is the prisoner's quarter, the moment the screams stopped, not sparing even one glance back at their remains, only to be met with another group of guards aiming their rifles at them.

"There they are! Someone inform Lady Sindia! The others: shoot the bastards!"

And the guards did just as was ordered, firing numerous bullets at the two blond haired men who, in their belief, had no way to dodge or escape.

But luckily for the two blonds, they knew an easy block to this assault. Well actually Roxas knew, but it was big enough to shield them both.

" **Barrier!"**

A spherical shield of light not too dissimilar from the one they used to crash in earlier appeared around the two just as the bullets reached them. However, each and every bullet ricocheted in random directions as they were unable of penetrating the magic sphere, though they did inflict some cracks here and there, a fact that the guards have noticed and so did not relent their assault.

The two blonds, seemingly pinned down in their own shield, exchanged a few words with each other about something, though the guards did not know it as the barrier was soundproof. Not that they cared anyway, they simply continued their firing.

Big and fatal mistake, one that would be their last.

So engrossed in shooting the intruders down, they were not prepared for any kind of counterattack that would not emanate from the blonds, but from outside the fort. Hence their surprise when a giant white bird crashed through the wall to their right, with a voice far behind yelling. "Now become art itself! **Katsu!** "

Their screams of horror didn't even escape their throats as they were quickly engulfed in an explosion that splattered their remains left and right as well as partially destroyed the hallway. Just then, the barrier around Roxas and his whiskered partner disappear, both smirking at the destruction before them, especially Roxas, who whistled in admiration.

"That's one way to blast problems away."

"Very true." His partner added, before the small lachryma that he hid beneath his coat glinted. He immediately took it and activated the link, where they were greeted with the familiar voice of Deidara.

" _Hope you guys enjoyed my art, yeah!_ "

"We did, thanks for the save."

" _You're welcome boss. Out!"_

After that the whiskered blond hid the lachryma inside his cloak again before both he and Roxas resumed their previous run by leaping over the destroyed area of the hallway.

* * *

 **First Floor – Nero VS Kolotz**

Sparks flew everywhere as the two swordsmen clashed against each other with their respective weapons. Metal met metal in a ferocious struggle for supremacy, but none had seemingly the upper hand, forcing the wielders to jump back and lunge at each other again, this time creating a shockwave that sent them both away from each other another time.

"I'll have to admit kid, you're really good." Kolotz praised the white haired young man in front of him with a grin. It had been a while since he fought a decent opponent in swordsmanship; so to say he was excited would be an understatement.

"I can't say the same about you." Nero replied with a grin of his own. Truth be told, he was normally at a disadvantage here, as the tall man before him was not only wielding a sword that held a great deal of power in it, but he was also capable of swinging it at speeds that far exceeds any zanbato user he ever saw. Had he been anyone else, Nero would have a hard time keeping up, let alone winning. But fortunately for the white haired man, he was not a regular mage, nor did he have a regular weapon.

"Oh really? Well how about this!" Instantly after his statement, Kolotz pinned the white haired man with his zanbatou as he slashed downward, forcing Nero to use his own sword to block along with his natural strength that came with his demonic blood.

Not seeing any other alternative, Nero used his demonic arm to create a spectral apparition of it and used it to grab Kolotz throat before throwing him away. Acting quickly, Nero thrust his weapon forward shortly after, stabbing Kolotz right in the heart.

Normally, the white haired man would have withdrawn his sword from the man's chest, clean it from blood, and go help either of his colleagues. But after fighting the man for a good five minutes, he knew that this victory was far too easy, and his assumptions were true as he sensed something odd from behind him. Acting on the instinct that helped him many times, Nero spun on his heels and outstretched his demonic arm as it shone a mixture of blue and red, a grayish purple magic seal appearing before him as he spoke the name of his signature magic.

" **Hakumei Aku: Shinsei Hinoko (Twilight Arc: Unholy Sparks)!"**

Five hazy purple lightning bolts surged from the magic seal and soared in a direct line, coming in contact with…Kolotz's flesh?

"Aaargh!" the brown haired tall man cried as two of the bolts pierced him on both shoulders and the third fried a part of his abdomen skin, while the other two were blocked with his giant sword that surprisingly was not damaged at all.

"Taste good, bone sac?" Nero asked with a grin, only for it to fade as the older man began to chuckle despite his somewhat severe wounds.

"…hehehe, very good brat. To think that you would be able to see through my **Illusion Magic** so quickly when not even my superior could discern it easily; truly impressive." Kolotz praised as his doppelganger near the white haired man faded as if he never was there.

"Sucks to be you pal, but you can't fool a demon with illusions." Nero boasted as he stepped once again in his fighting stance, but he did raise an eyebrow when he saw Kolotz pulling a potion from his pouch and gulping it in one go before tossing the bottle aside.

"Well, punk, ready for round two?" Kolotz didn't wait for a response as he instantly blitzed out of view.

With widened eyes, Nero ducked as his danger sense kicked in, barely missing his head being chopped by the brown haired man's giant sword. Kolotz however was not finished as he continued his assault with more fierce slashes that Nero evaded or blocked, albeit with great difficulty. Kolotz then finished his combo with a kick to the white haired man's chest, sending him skidding a few seconds before he regained his bearing.

' _Shit, the fuck is wrong with this guy? He's like three times faster and stronger than before, and fighting him was already hard enough to begin with! Could it be that potion he drunk…?'_

" **Tsuchi Maho: Daitaisō Inin (Earth Magic: Battalion Spear Charge)!"**

Nero was forced out of his thoughts as spears of earth jutted from the ground in his direction, forcing him to jump backward least he'll be impaled. Such an evasive manoeuvre was expected, hence why a few additional spears appeared behind him, as well as to his right and his left, leaving him with no way to escape but in the air.

And it is exactly where Nero headed as he stepped in the tip of a spear and used the momentum to propel himself high in the air, only to find Kolotz already there, a brownish yellow magic seal in front of him.

"Oh come on!" Nero yelled as his grip on his sword tightened; the blade being coated suddenly with a layer of fire.

"Too late to complain about the situation, brat." Kolotz replied with a dark smirk. **"Tsuchi Maho: Dosekiryū (Earth Magic: Earth Dragon)!"**

A muddy Japanese dragon emerged from the magic seal and headed straight to Nero with a loud roar, his yellow eyes glowing ominously. It dove at the white haired man with blinding speed, intending on smashing him to the ground.

But Nero had no intention of becoming a mashed up piece of flesh today, and so, with a great show of flexibility, he spun quickly vertically over himself like Sonic the Hedgehog with his flaming blade spinning with him and creating a rotating blazing circle that fearlessly went against the earth dragon. **"Blazing Runner!"** the white haired man shouted despite the rotation.

To Kolotz surprise, the spinning attack was slicing his earth dragon in two halves with great ease, like a hot knife through butter. It went on for a while, the fiery attack not relenting even once as Nero continued spinning and cutting through the muddy dragon. Kolotz snapped back to reality when he noticed that Nero had come far too close to his position. Kolotz annulled his spell and brought forth his zanbato and coated it with some of his earth magic to block the incoming danger, or at least deaden its effects.

A shockwave was created upon impact, one that blasted the two opponents away from each other, both landing on their feet with a small crater beneath them. Nero was panting lightly; this attack, while not as strong or taxing as some of his other techniques, always made him a little disoriented in its aftermath because he had yet to master it, albeit this side-effect only lasted for a couple of seconds, and after that he'll be ready to kick ass as he usually does.

Kolotz for his part looked okay…well as okay as one with a hole in both shoulders and a burnt abdomen could, but that's not the point. The point is that his enemy was in a stalemate with him, something that filled him with excitement instead of angering him. Being held in this godforsaken fort for three years had made him rusty, he'll admit, but he always liked challenges, and he was more than sure than this guy could sedate his thirst for combat that had been locked deep within him for so long.

" **Hakke Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Air Palm)!"**

Suddenly and completely out of the blue, Kolotz was sent flying as a powerful air blast slammed against his right side. The bulky man continued to sail through the air before he steadied himself and landed on his feet, glaring at the now two opponents that stood in front of him.

Nero gave a confused look at the newcomer, who was none other than Neji. "Done already?"

"Yes. You could say that I had luck on my side in the fight. I turned out to my enemy's worst opponent." Neji replied calmly, his mind recalling the fight he had a few minutes ago with his adversary. Koki was a specialist in a Magic that created magical doppelgangers to help him in the fight, somewhat like a **Thought Projection** , but those were invisible to the naked eye, and could deal physical damage. His style revolved around using the confusion of his opponents when they are struck with the invisible copies to deliver powerful lethal blows and quickly take them down.

Quite a sneaky and ingenious tactic, but unfortunately for Koki, Neji had easily perceived the technique using his **Byakugan** and countered it skillfully with his Gentle Fist Style, holding the upper hand all throughout the fight until the end, where Koki had drew his last breath.

"Guess he was just all talk after all, unlike that son of a bitch over there." Nero pointed with his sword to Kolotz. Both men readied themselves when they saw the man jump high in the air before implanting his massive sword into the ground where a magic seal was drawn.

Very shortly after, tentacles of earth sprouted from the ground in front of him and lunged at the two. However, Nero and Neji did not counter or dodge, instead they used those very tentacles to get closer to their enemy as they dashed on them, leaping occasionally from one tentacle to another.

Seeing that his attack had not fulfilled its purpose and that it only helped his foes, Kolotz quickly brought an earth wall before him, both to shield him and to give him enough time to prepare his next move.

"Oh no you won't!" Nero yelled as he punched forward, sending another spectral giant punch at the earth wall, pulverizing it completely. A big cloud of dust was created, and when it was dissipated, the body of Kolotz was nowhere to be seen. _'Where did he go…?'_

"Look out!" Neji yelled, only to be hit by a nearby rock tentacle that shot at him all of a sudden, sending him to the ground.

Feeling a danger nearby as well, Nero quickly glanced at his back, Kolotz somehow appearing behind him all of a sudden. The man brought his sword down in a mighty arc which Nero evaded just barely. Nero quickly jumped onto the sword and kicked the man square in the face, sending him away while his sword was still plunged into the ground.

Not wasting time, Nero followed after the bulky man with an aerial thrust kick, this time hitting him in his burnt abdomen, stunning him momentarily as the pain from the fresh wound coursed through Kolotz's body. Nero used this time to crash his left elbow on Kolotz's ribs, followed shortly after by an uppercut to his chin and a roundhouse kick to his side. However, Kolotz grabbed the leg and squeezed it harshly, jolting Nero with pain.

The white haired man attempted another roundhouse kick with his remaining leg at Kolotz's face, only for it to be seized as well. _'Oh shit…'_ Nero thought with a wince, already knowing what was to come.

Kolotz spun on his heels with great speed while holding Nero by his legs. He continued to spin for a while before he finally slammed the white haired man on the floor, creating a moderate crater in the process.

Kolotz was now stepping on Nero's demonic arm and his chest with great pressure, making the white haired man groan in pain. "This is where it ends, kid." Kolotz announced, a spear of earth summoned into his hand. "Any last words you want to spare?"

Nero coughed as he replied. "Yeah, I have." His lips curved upward slightly as he spoke the next words, "Watch your back…"

Two things happened a second after Nero's statement. One, a sound of pierced flesh was heard. And two, Kolotz widened his eyes and let out a handful of blood.

Slowly, very slowly, Kolotz looked down at his chest, the source of the chilling pain he felt in his body. Red liquid was pouring endlessly down his white coat, tainting it with the bloody color as the rest fell on top of Nero's outfit. To Kolotz shock, a huge blade was sticking out of his chest, almost completely coated with blood; his blood. And upon closer inspection, he got even more shocked when he recognized the sword was his.

Coughing more blood and stumbling a few feet back, Kolotz glanced at his back, glaring at whoever had the balls to impale him with his own sword, and found none other than a heavily panting Neji, albeit at a far distance from him, leading Kolotz to believe that his sword was thrown at him instead of being stabbed with it.

Not that it mattered because the deed has been done and there is no changing it.

Kolotz then returned his focus to Nero who was now standing groggily and smirking at the bearded man.

Kolotz didn't like that smirk; the 'Your time is over, bitch' kind of smirk. It infuriated him to no end. He knew that he could do little in his current state; being still alive was a miracle in itself after all. I mean, how many people can be stabbed by a goddamn zanbato and not drop dead right after? But even so, he would not show any weakness, not even in his death. He would hold his head high to the very end.

Still, he felt the need to give one last scathing remark if he was kicking the bucket for good.

"You feel lucky, punk?" Kolotz asked with a gurgled voice, a smirk creeping its way to his face despite the blood leaking from it.

"Lucky?" Nero repeated, before a chuckle escaped his lips. "Nah, I feel good." In the time needed to blink, Nero pulled a gun that he hid in his hoodie's back and aimed it right at Kolotz's head. "Very good."

 ** _Pam! Pam!_**

Two simultaneous bullets pierced the taller man's head effortlessly. Kolotz leaned back slowly, almost at a snail pace, before hitting the found the ground with a loud thud, his body now lying soulless.

Nero sighed as he cracked his neck lightly. "Damn, that was one tough bastard alright. Hey Neji! You okay there?" he yelled at the **Byakugan** user. Said person did not answer him, opting for appearing next to him instead.

"I'm fine, though throwing that giant sword was a harsh challenge to my strength. What about you?"

"I'll live; my wounds are already starting to heal."

Neji nodded. "Good. Let's complete our mission then."

Nero returned his gun to its place, fixed his hoodie/vest, cleaned some blood that tainted it, and then turned to Neji with a wild grin.

"Lead the way, pal."

* * *

 **Third Floor**

Back on the third floor, Roxas and the still unnamed whiskered blond (who I am SURE you know his identity by now) had finally arrived at their target's location after annihilating whatever other fools that thought they could take them on…except that Sindia woman who the guards keeps mentioning and the other S-class person that Neji reported in his recon.

The prisoner quarter's design was much like any jail normal cell; a multitude of horizontal and vertical steel bars interlocked with each, no windows, and no light inside.

"Leave me alone you bastards…Go party somewhere else…" a voice mumbled from the inside. He seems to be mistaking the assault that the group is doing for a party among the guards if his statement is anything to go by.

The whiskered blond did not answer the person and instead tore the cell's door from its place. A ball of golden flames appeared in his hands as he and Roxas walked calmly inside, the cell's now becoming clearly visible for them, not that it had much inside except for a chair with a man sitting on it, or rather held imprisoned due to the strong chain around his legs and the others on his hands.

The man was donning no shirt, displaying the numerous scars and wounds on his torso, especially one near his heart that looked like a cross or an X. His brown pants were ragged and filled with scratches and cuts, whilst his feet were left unprotected and vulnerable to the cold floor. His head was masked with a black hood.

The whiskered blond reached to the hood and quickly snatched it away, revealing the face of the captive. He was an orange haired man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties, his hair almost as spiky as the whiskered man. Some hair had grown on his face, his skin being paler than what he used to be in the past.

"Go away…It isn't dinner's time yet…" The orange haired man rasped with his head hung low.

"You're right, it isn't. It's escape time…" the whiskered blond stated softly, making the orange haired man immediately snap his brown eyes into his face, making sure that he was taking every detail into account; blond hair, blue eyes and golden flames...

There was no doubt about it. Only one person in the world possessed those specific traits. A person he knew too well. A person he had shared his childhood with. A person he had fought and bled with. A person he had come to see as a friend and eventually a brother. A person…he believed was dead for five years.

"Naruto…? Is…Is that you…?" the orange haired man asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

"Yeah Yahiko, it's me. I'm here to get you out of this hellhole." Naruto replied as he started burning the chains with a small portion of his golden flames.

These chains on Yahiko were made specifically to disturb someone's magic system flux once on contact with the body, hence making the use of any kind of spells very hard if not impossible. Though they could easily be destroyed by an outside force, which was exactly what he was doing with his fire.

"Hehehehe…hey…what took you so long…?" Yahiko asked jokingly with a small smirk as the chains binding him were now melted. After five years of torture in this place, freedom was finally within his grasp.

"We'll talk about that, but not here. Can you walk?" Naruto asked.

Standing groggily, Yahiko took some seconds to regain his footing before nodding, "Yeah, I'll manage…" It was then that the orange haired man noticed that the other blond with them. "Who's he?"

"His name's Roxas, and he's a whiny chicken." Naruto answered with a sly smile.

"Love you too fishcake." Roxas mimicked Naruto's smile as the whiskered blond glared at him halfheartedly before shaking his head.

"Let's just get outta here." Naruto spoke and the two other men nodded. They exited the cell and started running down the corridors of the fort. They continued their run for a while before, suddenly, a giant hand of red sand shot from below the ground and crashed against the ceiling, missing the trio only by a few meters.

"What in the hell is this!?" Yahiko yelled; eyes wide in surprise.

"That is Gaara sending someone to the afterlife." Naruto responded with a smirk. The trio then watched as the hand of sand tightened its fingers into a fist and smashed whatever was inside it into the ground. After that, the hand disintegrated into shapeless red sand and fell limply. Shortly after, a miniature sandstorm appeared near Naruto and company, revealing after its dissipation a calm Gaara with his hands crossed and a stoic face, as usual.

"Nice entry." Roxas praised.

Gaara merely nodded, and then he noticed the orange haired man "I presume that you are Yahiko-san, correct?"

"Yeah I am, and I guess you're Gaara; the one who did that sand thing just now."

"Indeed, that is me, but right now we have to hurry and leave this place. Otherwise the remaining forces will catch up to us." Gaara explained and the trio nodded, only to hear noise coming from behind them.

Turning around, the group saw another incoming group of guards, this time led with a woman that was preparing to attack while running. She had brown eyes and long purple hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a white blazer with a white shirt underneath, dark blue pants and held in her arms a green magical bow with three arrows at the ready.

"Speak of the devil…" Roxas scowled, preparing a spell to counter the attacks from the group before him.

"Forget about them! We need to hightail out of here now." Naruto ordered.

"Men! Fire at will! Do not let them escape with the prisoner." The woman, who was none other than Sindia, ordered as she fired her arrows, somehow multiplying them as they soared in the air, accompanied by a hail of bullets from the guard behind her.

"Do not think that I am out of this fight yet, intruders! You will leave this place over my cold dead body!" Divan, who was the person that Gaara's sand fist was smashing not so long ago and apparently did not die from the harsh manoeuvers, yelled as grabbed his cane and channeled his magic power into it, transforming it into a giant hammer. He then spun on his heels and threw it with all his might, making it sail at half of the bullets' speed.

Okay, let's revise the situation at hand: we have a giant hammer coming from the right, a rain of bullets and a few magic enhanced arrows coming fast from the left, and the back is blocked by a brick wall. So to put it bluntly, the guys are simply pinned down in a certain death situation…

…

…

…yeah right.

" **Sabaku Marukara (Sand Round Shell)!"**

A second before the impact, Gaara quickly summoned a round shield of red sand around the group, intending on defending the group from the incoming attacks. It did stand well against the bullets and the arrows as not one of them penetrated the shell. The hammer however…well it kind of blew the whole thing away, if you get what I mean, and ended up creating a giant smoke screen. Fortunately for David, he had summoned his hammer back to his hand so that it doesn't continue its flight and kill his soldiers and remaining high ranking officer.

Both sides waited patiently for the smoke screen to dissipate, ready to engage at the slightest sight of the enemy, but found none to their surprise. The only thing that Divan and the remaining guards perceived was each other, and a hole in the wall nearby; the same one that the intruders were leaning against before they were shot at.

Concluding the only possible scenario that the intruders could have followed, the remaining members of the fort hurried to that hole, their eyes greeted with a sight they were most definitively not expecting.

Out in the dark horizon, a white featherless bird was carrying the group of three intruders and the prisoner that they were told to keep locked inside this fort at all cost. Just the thought of what his superior would do to him once the news of what happened here has reached him drained Divan's face of all color.

Or perhaps he was in such a pale state because there was a huge ass folded fire column heading his way. It's kind of hard to tell.

Nobody tried to run away, their eyes and mind glued to the dazzling yet terrifying inferno heading their way. Divan, alongside Sindia and the rest of the guards would never forget this technique's name, nor will they forget its hellish effect on them.

" **Hibashira (Fire Pillar)!"** Naruto yelled, his voice sounding distant for the occupants of the fort. Not that they cared because right now…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"DAAAAAMN YOUUUUUU!"

…they were occupied with the job of filling the calm night with their screams of pure horror as their flesh was melted away by the scorching flames, the fort collapsed onto them gradually.

Because he had evacuated his imprisoned friend and all of his team members were extracted from the fort, Naruto allowed himself to go a bit overkill. The fire pillar he had summoned was at least six times his size, which was five feet ten inches by the way, and had created a big hole in the fort; resulting in it collapsing down on the group of screaming burning guards.

"Happy Friday!" Naruto yelled, though he had pronounced 'Fried day' instead of the regular 'Friday'. The entire group laughed at his well-placed pun, except Gaara who chuckled lightly. The whiskered blond then turned to Yahiko, "Hey Yahiko…"

"Yeah?"

"Welcome back to the Nighthawks, pal." Naruto spoke as he outstretched his hand, which Yahiko shook with a nod.

And so, the two white featherless birds sailed the dark sky with now seven people atop them, getting farther and farther from the destroyed fort, and heading to their base.

* * *

 _ **Starring**_

 _ **Naruto Uzumaki – Naruto**_

 _ **Neji Hyuuga – Naruto**_

 _ **Deidara – Naruto**_

 _ **Gaara – Naruto**_

 _ **Yahiko – Naruto**_

 _ **Nero – Devil May Cry 4**_

 _ **Roxas – Kingdom Hearts 2**_

 **And done!**

 **If you guys liked this chapter and wanted another one, you have to blast me with reviews, hopefully positive ones.**

 **Neo Madara Uchiha, Out.**


	2. Chapter 2: Who Is The Enemy?

**Hello there, Neo Madara Uchiha is in the house! I have noticed that my first chapter had picked some people's attention, and because of that I''ll be continuing this story. Speaking of my last chapter** **, after rereading it I noticed I should have talked about the group's magics at the end so to leave a little explanation about their powers. Which is something I am intending to do later on my profile page, so keep an eye open if you're interested.**

 **Also, to answer ortizale317, yes there's going to be girls in this group, but we're talking about badass girls here, so no bringing any lower tier characters and making them join the group. In the Nighthawks, I'm going to include only the elites** **. If you have an anime character in mind, PM me.**

 **Edit: 9/8/2017: I just fixed some mistakes in the chapter that seemed somewhat stupid from my part. Special thanks to Fuyuriku for pointing them out. The content is still the same.**

 **I guess that's it for now, so let's get on chapter 2 of the Nighthawks! Hope you enjoy!**

"Oops…" – Talks

 _'Ooopsy…'_ – Thoughts

" **Blast!"** – Techniques

 **Nighthawks**

 **Chapter 2: Who Is The Enemy?**

 **Two Days Later – Magic Council, Fiore Branch Building**

The history of the Magic Council dates to centuries back in time, exactly 300 years ago, at the end of the war between dragons and humans. Despite the victory of the human side, the war between the two sides left the world in a state of pure chaos, and as such law needed to be reestablished. And this is when the Magic Council made its appearance, uniting all of Ishgar countries and kingdoms through economic, politic and militaristic relations.

Now acting as the ruling body of Ishgar's, the Magic Council comprises of branches stationed all over the continent in order to maintain order throughout the multiple lands under its supervision. The Council rules over all legal guilds and have the ability to punish any mages who break the laws they have made, mainly killing. If a mage commits the act of killing or any other illegal deed, he would be labeled a dark mage and is to be hunted down until he's captured or, and if the need arises, terminated. Each branch of the Magic Council consists of eight members who make the decisions as to what happens in their lands and are the ones who bring about the formation of laws and punishments.

And currently, the Council members of Fiore had just finished talking about the recent Lullaby incident and moved on to discussing a matter of utmost importance; the group that had appeared two years ago and had caused nothing but dire troubles for them ever since.

The Nighthawks; a group of mercenary mages with no affiliation to any country of Ishgar who carry out jobs that are frowned upon by the Council, including high-profit assassination, robbery, infiltration and/or destruction of many facilities and forts belonging to the government or other organizations and so much more. The Council has tried to hire them six months ago, but the group had refused 'politely', if you get what I mean.

And since Fiore is the Magic Council's Headquarters, their branch were the ones that will have to decide the fate of this group.

"This group must be stopped." Org, the second seat of the Council and its titled 'Sage', declared with a deep scowl. He was a tall, gray-haired man with a considerably long beard, as well as a mustache. He has pointy ears and only one of his dark-colored eyes was opened whilst the other was closed. Org wears multiple layers of robes, and on top of his head he wears a small bat-shaped ornament.

"I agree. They have created a notorious reputation since their appearance that is actually encouraging others to take a similar path to theirs. Such a fact would reflect negatively on our public reputation, something which we cannot allow." Michello, the third seat, added with a stern voice.

He is a short, old man with oddly flat brown hair, which tapers to a point in three places: on both sides of his face and in the center of his forehead. He also has tufts of hair on either side of his head that resemble ears and what appears to be a light-yellow tail growing out of his backside, giving him a strong cat-like appearance. His other distinguishing facial features are his bristle-edged mustache, along with tiny, dark-colored eyes and eyebrows that resemble musical notes. His attire consisted of a light-colored robe that bore stripe-like markings on both sleeves, down his sides, and on his back.

All of the other members nodded at Michello's statement. Their reputation and the people's fate in them was one of their most important objectives along with maintain order over the Ishgar's countries. Should they fail in either goals, the world would revert into the Chaos that was reigning Ishgar prior to the Council's formation.

Though, the Nighthawks are not the only ones that threatens the world's current state of tranquility with their actions, as there was plenty of other guilds that fall in the same category, ones even being light guilds such as Fairy Tail whose mages are known for their destructive natures and heavy collateral damage. But even so, Fairy Tail didn't undertake any illegal jobs. The Nighthawks however were quite bold with their criminal actions ever since their emergence, even more than any major dark guild or any other criminal organization in all of Ishgar.

"I, too, approve the decision of taking actions against the Nighthawks. However, do we have enough intelligence on them to proceed?" Belno, the eldest female member within the room, countered.

She has sandy blonde hair tied up into a large ponytail that fans out into a series of spiky tear-dropped tufts of hair. She wears a dark violet cloak that was held with a golden cord over a purple turtle-neck with vertical stripes, a black long skirt and a pair of flat heeled shoes. Her most noticeable trait is her long nose, which gives her a somewhat witch-like appearance.

"You make a point, Belno-san. We do have a lack in information concerning this group. Perhaps you would have something about them, Jiraya-san?" The chairman of the Council, Crawford Seam, wondered.

He is a very broad, tall man with a large bushy beard knotted into a bun on either side. He features a snub nose, moderately sized droopy eyes, high eyebrows and relatively small ears. He also sports a small bun atop his nearly bald head. For attire, he wears a brown tightly tied robe under a dark-cuffed coat that has diamond patterns decorating the outer edges. Over this coat, the Council chairman has a dark cape draped over his shoulders, with a spade decorating both shoulders. Around his right wrist, he wears a small beaded wristband. The large man also wears dark pants and light-colored slippers.

The person Crawford addressed was a man appearing to be in his late sixties, with waist-length spiky white hair tied into a ponytail, with two bangs framing the side of his face. Twin red lines extended from under his eyes, going all the way down to his chin. He donned a red haori with two yellow circles over a short shirt kimono and matching pants, a black belt around his waist, and traditional wooden sandals.

Jiraya nodded with a serious look on his face; a look he uses rarely for those who know him on a personal level. "I do, but it isn't much. All I know is four of the members composing the Nighthawks, and they aren't your run of the mill kind of mages. All of them are at least Mid S-class mages." Jiraya then snapped his fingers, resulting in a large Magic seal to appear in the center of the room. The seal then projected four bright column of light that slowly changed and decreased in size before they settled into four person's holograms; a white haired man, a blond, a brown haired man and finally a redhead.

"The one with the white hair is named Nero, known by his current moniker as the Unholy **.** He's a former member of the Holy Knights; an elite group of Mages belonging to the now eliminated evil organization that was residing in Stella, the Order of the Sword. He disappeared after the organization was destroyed until he joined the Nighthawks two years ago for unknown reasons." Jiraya waited a few seconds to let the information sink in his fellow Council members heads before resuming.

"Next is the redhead. His name is Gaara, better known with his field name: Gaara of the Desert. He is the son of Midi's leader, Rasa, making him a royalty. Well that is until he murdered his own father at the age of fourteen." Jiraya stated, noticing the shocked faces of his colleagues.

"He killed his own father? With said father being a leader of a country!? Why were we not informed of this development by the Council's branch in Midi?" Yajima, the sixth seat and the shortest of the Council members, exclaimed with a surprised tone.

As stated before, he is a short, old man with thick light-brown eyebrows and a small toothbrush mustache that reaches halfway to his mouth. He wears a brown long sleeve shirt with black vertical stripes and a black three-spiked hat, along with brown pants and brown shoes.

"Most likely because of fear. After all, Midi is one of the smallest countries in Ishgar, and is also weaker than the rest of the countries because of her desert environment. If word spread that their leader was killed by a fourteen years old boy, regardless of said boy power level, Ministrel and east Caelum will most likely try to expand their territory in there, and a cold war would erupt between the three countries. I even dare say that Jiraya-san got the information only because of his worldwide spy system, and even then he's using it solely to help the Council's goals." Siegrain, one of the Wizard Saints mages, deduced with precision, answering Yajima's question without leaving room for any counter argument.

He is a young blue haired man whose most prominent features are a red tattoo above and under his right eye. He dressed himself in a long white frock-coat with black stripes across the edges and on the upper part of the arms, a decorated standing collar, large straps connected to decorated buckles closing the inducement on the front over a dark shirt, and matching pants and shoes. He also sported a ring on his right middle finger, and had the medallion attesting his status as one of the Ten Wizard Saints around his neck.

Jiraya nodded at Siegrain's explanation, "Exactly, now back to our topic. After killing his father, Gaara escaped to the deserts of Midi and lived his teenage years there, hence his field name. What happened next is unknown to me, but I learned that he was recruited in the Nighthawks shortly after Nero, with his reasons of joining being mysterious as well."

"Thirdly, we have Neji Hyuuga from the Hyuuga House in Fiore. Now this one's reasons of joining were less ambiguous than the others, as he was a member of the Branch Family whose members are by default slaves to the Main Family. I believe that whoever is leading the Nighthawks have promised him freedom for his loyalty, and Neji didn't need to be told twice." Again, Jiraya halted his speech for a few seconds before proceeding.

"The final person is someone that is quite popular here in the Magic Council. Deidara the Mad Artist; the only survivor from the infamous mission of 'Hell Valley' and former member of the extinct Explosion Corps unit of Fiore's Magic Council military. He was imprisoned seven years ago after he went 'mad' from the mission. The prison was later assaulted two years ago by the Nighthawks and they had extracted him from there. He sided with them ever since." Jiraya finished his introduction with another snap of his fingers, making the holograms of the four Nighthawks members disappear instantly with a flash of light.

Ultear, the other female member of the Magic Council, who kept quiet throughout the entire briefing, finally decided to speak after Jiraya ended.

She was a beautiful pale skinned woman with dark purple hair that stretched down to her mid-back, currently tied into a single ponytail. Her clothes consisted of a white, kimono-like outfit that stopped just above her knees and which showed her voluptuous figure despite it being a rather loose fitting set of clothing. A yellow sash was worn around her waist. Her dark brown eyes held a hint of anger as she glanced annoyingly at Jiraya who ogled many times during his speech at her body, something that the other council members had somewhat grew accustomed to after so many years of being acquainted with the self-proclaimed 'Super Pervert'.

"By assessing the information that Jiraya-san had given, I believe that the best course of action we could take against the Nighthawks is to officially declare them as a group of wanted criminals and monitor things from afar."

Siegrain added his own two cents to Ultear's proposition. "Also, in a two years span, the Nighthawks surely would have established many hidden alliances with other organizations or even countries to ensure their business continuousness. We have let them run wild these two last years, and it's too late to take major actions against them now besides branding them as wanted criminals with a 'Capture on sight' order."

Seeing the logic behind the youngest members of the Council, Crawford nodded his head approvingly. "Alright then, it is settled then. We will label the Nighthawks as wanted criminals here in Fiore and then pass on the order to the rest of the Magic Council's branches in the remaining countries. Is there any other important issue someone wants to introduce?"

Silence.

"Then I declare this meeting adjourned. Keep up the good work, gentlemen."

And with that last sentence, every one of the Magic Council members got up from their seats and exited the meeting room to return to their duties. No one, however, was aware of the pair of yellow eyes on a nearby wall or the creepy smile that had stretched under them, and much less about its thoughts.

' _Oooh! So the Council has finally decided to take the Nighthawks seriously, huh? Gotta inform the boss 'bout this!'_

Slowly, the 'face' in the wall dematerialized, leaving no traces indicating of its presence behind.

 ** _Line-Break_**

After two full days of flying, albeit with stops in mid-flight at a village to spend the night in them, the Nighthawks finally arrived at their base; an island in the middle of the sea, south-east of West Caelum. Everybody hopped from their volatile transports into the shore and proceeded to march forward, with only Yahiko and Naruto staying at the back of the group, engaging each other in a conversation.

"So what took you five whole years to find that shithole of a prison I was detained in?" Yahiko asked, a small glare plastered on his face. He had used the stops in their way here to get himself new clothes instead of the rags he was wearing. He was now dressed in a sleeveless dark blue shirt with matching pants, a pair of black fingerless gloves similar to Naruto's, and finally black shoes.

Naruto answered without glancing at the orange haired man. "You were held in a black ops prison with anonymous allegiance. Officially, that place doesn't even exist. And also, I hadn't thought you survived _that_ day. I only got the location from a new money bag."

A perplexed look marred Yahiko's face. "Excuse me?"

"I meant a new client. We don't know who he is, but he paid that fort's position via one of our informers in advance, and in exchange we are going to complete the assignments he wants us to do. Of course there will be money paid at the end of whatever those missions are."

"Let me get this straight. You're telling me that I was a bargaining ship for whoever the hell is this 'client' so he can get you to work for him, right?" A nod was all he got as a response. "Great…" Yahiko exclaimed humorlessly.

They continued their walk in silence, both quietly enjoying the organic smell that the forest around them spread out in the air and the joyous chirping of birds a little far ahead. Occasional breezes of wind shook the small green grass blades, making them dance rhythmically with the swaying leaves in their branches.

"Damn this place looks like a paradise." Yahiko admitted with an approving look on his face.

Naruto chuckled lightly, "It sure is. We got this isle about a year ago, after we helped South Caelum's prince in a revolution he led to regain his throne from a corrupt man that had killed his parents and assumed the reign for himself. Despite giving us the amount of jewels we have demanded, the prince felt that it was not enough of a payment and as such, he secretly gave us this entire island to do with as we please, and now he acts as one of our main clients."

"Sounds like a nice guy…"

"Yeah, he is. But nature isn't all what this isle is about, come on let me show you." Naruto stated. The two marched for a few additional seconds before they arrived at the foot of a tall mountain, where a steel door was positioned.

Suddenly, the door was opened, and the two spiky haired men walked in a long hallway made of brownish wood while the floor was covered in wooden tiles, with lamps lighting the way as they continued their walk. It took a while, but they finally reached the end of the corridor, and Naruto couldn't help but laugh at Yahiko's shocked expression.

Both men were now staring at a huge ass room with two large tables in the middle, four stair cases leading to the upper floors, which are three in number, and finally two other steel doors similar to the first one they used to enter the previous hallway in the adjacent wall to their position.

"Wooow…" Yahiko exclaimed in amazement. He was told that they have a base of operations, not a goddamn complex _within_ a fucking tropical island.

"Yeah I know; that was my exact reaction when I entered this place the first time. Apparently, this island served as a bunker during the Second Trade War, but now it's left unused. Pretty generous of that prince to give it to us, don't you think?" Naruto asked as he playfully nudged his orange haired friend.

"Generous? That's fucking overkill!" Yahiko yelled.

Naruto shrugged, "Hey, never complain about gifts. Anyway, I'll give you a quick rundown of this place's contents. Those stairs leads to the personal quarters of our group. There are twelve rooms in both right and left sides, which sums into twenty-four in total, but only six of them are occupied, and yours will be the seventh. This room with the tables and sofas is the lounge and also serve as the briefing room. The two steel doors over there are the laboratory and my office, but we don't exploit the laboratory because nobody in our group have a clue what to do inside it, so we just leave it be until we found someone to fill the bill. Let's get to my office now; I need to update you in the world's affair and our current goals."

The two young men entered the office via the left steel door. The room inside had a couple of chairs, a library at the side, a desk with a medium sized lachryma. However, Yahiko's sight was drawn to the wall behind the desk, or more accurately to the small photo that was on it.

His footsteps echoed lightly in the room as he walked slowly to the picture, and before he knew it he was right in front of it. The photo was contorted and limp, but was still recognizable. In this photo, younger versions of both himself and Naruto were standing within a group of eight persons, all smiling or grinning at the camera.

For anybody else, this would be a simple picture, nothing more, nothing less. But for him, and probably Naruto too, this picture represented a whole life of fighting, bleeding, sweating, laughing, and so many more memories.

A life that had been destroyed five years ago…

"Did anybody else survive…?" Yahiko asked, but the sound that escaped was nothing but a whisper, his eyes locked with the image.

A sigh escaped Naruto's lips as he walked to the orange haired man, "No, me and you are the only survivors of _that_ day. Though, they could be held in some godforsaken prison just like you were, but the chances are very low."

Looking at his orange haired friend, Naruto could clearly see the cold anger that was sweeping to his soul as his hands balled into tight fists, and he could feel his pain to some degree. After all, how would you feel if you were imprisoned for five years, broke free after, only to know that almost all of your friends are dead? Yahiko may had come to term with this subject when he was captive, but he surely always had the faint hope that everybody would be waiting for him once he managed to escape his captors. A hope that Naruto had crushed with his words right now.

Naruto himself didn't believe the harsh truth once he was met with it, believing it to be some kind of nightmare and that he will wake up one day to meet his friends. But with time, it became very clear for him that it was not nightmare, but a reality.

An ugly, harsh, merciless reality, but reality nonetheless.

Seeing the infecting depression that the topic was bringing on them, Naruto attempted to change subject. "But let's put that aside for now. We need to focus on the current situation, not the past."

Yahiko nodded his head and turned away from the contorted picture. Dwelling on the past will not do him any good; that much he was aware of. And as painful as the events of _that_ day were, he needed to move on and look at the future.

Seeing that Yahiko was ready to listen, Naruto touched the lachryma, resulting in a hologram map of Ishgar to appear before them, with the country of Sin crossed in a big red X. "Ishgar's countries are currently holding tense relations with each other, except for Fiore and east Caelum because they represent the core of the Magic Council. Ever since _that_ day five years ago, when Sin got destroyed by the joint attack of Desertio's, Bellum's and Ministrel's forces, the world has entered a state of panic. Countries are now wary of each other, and everyone strives for his own gains and security, be it economically or militarily."

"War?" Yahiko inquired with a raised eyebrow. Politics may not be his fort but he had enough deduction skills to analyze information and connect the dots.

"Not yet, the Magic Council is doing a good job at hiding these problems from public view and covering them with convincing lies, so all there's been for now is hidden conflicts. But at the rate things are developing, war isn't very far in the horizon. Furthermore, criminal activities and dark guild numbers have multiplied drastically during those years, and the Council's military got outnumbered on most countries, resorting to Legal mages to help them in the fight under the guise of jobs that they are given in their guilds, but even then they could only do so much."

"And that's where we enter the picture, correct?"

Naruto nodded "Exactly." He then touched the lachryma again and multiple red dots appeared randomly all around the map. A puzzled look marred Yahiko's face and he was about to speak, but Naruto beat him to it, "Before you ask, this is the locations of all our past missions, ranging from assassination to infiltration and more."

"You've been quite busy I see…" Yahiko exclaimed with a frown, then he shifted his glance to the blond. "Tell me, what is the point of all these attacks? What is this group striving for? What is your main goal right now?" even though the fiery haired young man had a very good idea on what Naruto's answer was going to be, those questions had to escape his throat; he needed confirmation.

Naruto stood silent for a few seconds, looking blankly at the virtual map before him. Without averting his vision, he answered with an even tone. "I'll answer you in a backward order. My main goal behind all of this…is to claim our comrades lost honor."

"Claim our comrades lost honor?"

"Yes." Naruto looked at the contorted photo on the wall behind him, "You see that photo? That's all there's left from our past lives. We've been fighting for a noble cause back then; building a place that we'll call home, carving a future for ourselves and all those who can't do it and need help. But we've been had with a sneaky trap, and the two of us are all that's left. It's our job to reclaim their stolen honor. Without us, it'll be as if they never existed in the first place. We're the only thing that is stopping them from being completely forgotten in the sands of time."

"That basically means that you're seeking revenge…" Yahiko pointed out.

"Perhaps, but what I really seek is to find peace within myself, and I know that you want that too. Things change, and so do we. We're no longer fighting for a noble cause, or a greater good. There's only personal retribution now, and I won't stop until I obtain it." Naruto declared with a confident voice.

Yahiko glanced silently at the blond for a few seconds, before a small smile etched to his lips. "You're right about my desire for vengeance and regaining our friends' lost honor, but what about the others? What do they hope to achieve from joining you?"

"I was getting to that." Naruto exclaimed. "You see, to achieve revenge, I needed manpower and money. The later came somewhat easily with the job of a mercenary, even though it was sometimes dirty. But then again, those jobs were not meant for the kind heart. Anyway, working alone was good for a while, but the income was slow and I couldn't take on some of the big shots alone. So, I started looking for available recruits, and stumbled on them in different locations. Each one of them has his own tragic story, and they all willingly signed up for this job for various personal reasons. Forcing them would only result in betrayal anyway."

Yahiko nodded, "Well that's two questions answered, but you still didn't explain the point of these attacks? I mean some of them are government's proprieties. Why would you attack them?"

"Because we found the son of a bitch responsible for _that_ day's events." The whiskered blond admitted, causing Yahiko's eyes to widen considerably.

"For real!?"

"Yeah, my first clue about him was when we assaulted the prison where Deidara was in."

"Deidara? Are you talking about that guy with the explosion fetish?"

"The very same. You see, in all of my jobs, I tried to get some information on that bastard , but luck wasn't on my side as all I had was a vague description that I had retained from the last time I saw him, until I recruited Deidara. He was working for the council prior to his imprisonment, and he confirmed that the guy I am looking for was a member in the Fiore Branch of the Magic Council named Zen Kakumei. Of course when I found out I immediately sent our spy to investigate, and you could say we hit the jackpot. Apparently, Zen wasn't that 'honest' in his job as a Council member, 'cause he was secretly funding the world's two greatest dark organizations with classified intelligence and helping them in many of their crusades. He also has a hand in many events that made the Magic world's countries so hostile to each other's. Unfortunately, before we could get him, the bastard has fled the Council and is now hiding in some pit away from everyone's sight."

"So that's why you're attacking bases that are under the Council's protection, you are aiming to draw him from his hiding place." Yahiko assumed, gaining an affirmative nod from his blond friend. "And those organizations that he was cooperating with, do we know them?" Yahiko inquired as he crossed his arms.

Instead of answering, Naruto once again touched the lachryma, and the map hologram disappeared, and in its place four symbols were displayed, one big at the right and three small ones at the left. The big one appeared to be a black star with a snarling skeleton face, or is it a ghost? It's kind of hard to tell. The smaller symbols for their part represented;

One: two orange hammers crossing with each other with dark orange rectangles in parallel under them. Two; a spiked red heart symbol cut in the middle, with its two parts kept at a distance from each other. And three; a yellow claw of some sort.

"The one at the left is the symbol of the Venoms; a large criminal organization located in Ministrel. The other three are the crests of, in order, Tartaros, Grimoire Heart and Oracion Seis; the main dark guilds in Fiore and the founders of the Balam alliance, an organization that controls all of Fiore's dark guilds. Both organizations are in our hit list, and we've been crippling their forces for a good while now." Naruto briefed, before he touched the lachryma again, and the map of Ishgar reappeared. "But that's not all. After spending a whole year tracking him and his operations, we have found quite a bunch of info here and there about him, the most important one being his true name."

"True name? What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said. Zen Kakumei was an alias he used during his time as in the Magic Council so he can hide his true identity while doing his shady activities. His real name is…"

The hologram once again changed, shifting into the image of an old man. He had black shaggy hair with white bandages covering his right eye. He had an x-shaped scar on his chin and was leaning against a wooden cane. He wore a white shirt under a dark grey robe covering from his feet to just over his right shoulder with a violet belt around his waist.

"…Danzo Shimura."

* * *

 **And done! Now I know what you guys are probably wondering in your heads:**

 **Who is that 'face' that was spying on the Magic Council? Who is his boss?**

 **What is 'that' day that Naruto keeps repeating? Why did Ministrel and Desierto destroy Sin? What the heck is Danzo doing in this story and what did he do to piss off our favorite whiskered blond so much to the point of revenge?**

 **If you have other questions that aren't listed here, drop them in a review and I'll see if I can answer in the next chapter.**

 **Until later,**

 **Neo Madara Uchiha, out.**


	3. Chapter 3: New Recruits

**Hello there, I'm back with another chapter! YEEHAH! First and foremost, I want to thank everybody who has appreciated this story so far. Your support is what makes me want to continue writing this. Also, I knew I said that I will be posting the group's magic in my profile page, but I've been…kind of lazy lately. You know, because its summer's last two week and school is going to start very soon. On that note, I want to say that this might be my last update until next summer. Sorry, it's just that I have strict parents and they think that writing is getting in the way of my studies.**

 **But you didn't come here to hear my shitty problems, so…**

 **LET'S GET ON WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER OF THE NIGHTHAWKS! YEEHAH!**

 **Edit: 9/8/2017: I just fixed some mistakes in the chapter that seemed somewhat stupid from my part. Special thanks to Fuyuriku for pointing them out. The content is still the same.**

"Oops…" – Talks

 _'Ooopsy…'_ – Thoughts

 **"Blast!"** – Techniques

 **Nighthawks**

 **Chapter 3: New Recruits**

"So what's the address?"

"I got it memorized."

"Mind sharing it?"

"I do."

"Why is that?"

"Because I remember very well what happened the last time I told you about our destination."

"Oh, come on. You're still mad at me for getting us into that cave all those years ago?"

"Yes, because we stayed a whole goddamn week trapped inside that cave when our destination was five hundred meters away."

Yahiko couldn't help but roll his eyes at Naruto's angry remark, even though it was an accurate one. The orange haired man knew that it was his fault for getting them into that shitty cave and that it was only because of luck that they escaped from it, but he was not about to say it aloud.

The two spiky haired men were currently in Balsam village; one of Fiore's most extravagant villages and a well-known spa town. It is built in an oriental architecture style and is filled with casinos, hotels, restaurants, bars, gardens and so much more. To put it bluntly, the town was a hotspot for all kinds of tourists as well as a piece of heaven for the locals. Rumor has it that the town shows its stunning beauty more at night, but unfortunately for the traveling duo, it was daytime right now.

It's been only three days that the Nighthawks have broken Yahiko out from jail, but to the orange haired man it might as well be an eternity. Most of his senses were almost overwhelmed by the exterior world's scents, sights and other things that he had missed during his stay at that blasted fort. But that was the past, and he would not let himself be bothered by it. He would look at the future and the brightness that it shall bring after he achieved his revenge on the responsible of his former comrades' death.

Right now they were walking down the main street of Balsam, looking for the client that had hired their group. A few questions here and there and it was revealed to them that the client was living in a big mansion in the middle of the town, and that it was a highly respected business woman.

The duo continued to walk for a few minutes before they stopped in front of the mansion they were told about. It wasn't very big mind you, but still a sight to behold for newcomers like them. However, before they could make another step, they were immediately stopped as four guards popped out of nowhere and blocked their path. "Halt! This place is not for tourism. State your business or get outta here." One of them ordered.

It was Naruto who answered them. "We were told to come here by a contact of ours. He said that 'gloomy memories never fade.'"

Looking at each other, the guards shared a nod of agreement before refocusing on Naruto and Yahiko. "I don't know who you are, but that's the correct password to enter. Okay, follow me."

The two Nighthawks members nodded and entered the mansion with the guard guiding them through it. They went upstairs, walked through a long hallway then stopped in front of a large door. The guard knocked on it twice, and a soft "Come in" was heard. The guard then turned to the two Nighthawks members and excused himself before returning to his post.

Naruto and Yahiko opened the door and moved forward, taking in the sight around them. The room had two round large tables at the sides, an office desk at the far end of the room with a big sash window in the background. But what drew the two's attention greatly was the person sitting on the desk.

Said person was a fair-skinned woman, one that appeared to be in her mid to late twenties. Her long purple hair reaches to her back and covers one of her piercing ruby eyes. She wore a black bodice under an equally black opened cloak, though the former was modified to show much of her cleavage and body, and a black tattoo of some sort was drawn on her right hand. All in all, she was a gorgeous beauty, and Yahiko was first to assert it.

"Fatal shot to the heart…" The orange haired man whispered.

"Keep your head straight, Casanova." Naruto whispered back before walking to the office desk, and by extension, the woman who he believed to be their client.

The purple haired woman rose from her seat and smiled lightly. "Welcome, gentlemen. Am I right to assume that you are from the Nighthawks mercenaries that I have contacted recently?"

"We are. Name's Naruto, and my friend here is Yahiko. And I suppose that you would be our client, miss…" Naruto trailed off as he didn't know her name.

"Oh forgive my manners…My name is Portia, and yes I would be your client. Please, take a seat." The woman now known as Portia stated as she pointed at the two chairs in front of the desk, and the two mages didn't need to be told twice.

"So, about our assignment, what would it be?" Naruto asked after a few seconds of silence.

The purple haired woman smirked as her lone ruby pupil gazed at Naruto's cerulean blue eyes. "Straight to the point, huh? I like that in a man." She stated with a wink, causing both spiky haired men to raise an eyebrow. "To put it bluntly, I require your help to eliminate a certain person. He is a former council member named Zen Kakumei, but his true name in the criminal world would be Danzo Shimura." Both Nighthawks members' eyes widened briefly at the mention of the name before hardening, something which did not go unnoticed by Portia.

' _What are the odds?'_ Naruto thought dryly. This Portia woman wants to pay them to eliminate the very person that they were pursuing. Talk about taking down two birds with one rock. But still, he had the odd feeling that there was something not right in this situation… "Continue." Naruto said. He'll bother with the odd feeling later.

Portia nodded as she put a folder on her desk and gave it to Naruto, who took it and started reading his contents. "I have been following his recent activities after he defected from the Magic Council Branch in Fiore for personal reasons, but unfortunately I could not locate his exact position. Though I do know someone who could."

"And who's that?" Yahiko asked with a curious tone.

"A member of the Ten Wizard Saints and the current guild master of Phantom Lord; Jose Porla." Portia declared, surprising the two mercenaries.

"That guy? How would he know where Danzo is?" Yahiko couldn't help but demand.

"According to my agents in his guild, Jose has been in touch with Danzo for two years now, constantly buying equipment and materials in exchange for classified information. I am not sure if he does know Danzo's location, but it is safe to assume that he has a number of crucial information about him, something we need greatly." Portia stated.

"So you want us to kidnap him?" Naruto asked, receiving a nod from Portia.

"Exactly. I have two agents in his guild acting as his top-ranking mages, and they have confirmed that he is planning something and will execute it in two weeks from today. Here," She handed to them a paper with some kanjis written on it. "This is a communication seal. It will help you stay in touch with both me and my informers. I will also use it to give you further assignments and Intel. For your payment, you'll have to go to this address." She gave them another paper, but this time it had a map. "It is the place marked with the X. Of course, the money will be given only after you completed your mission."

"But what about Jose? Where would we deliver him once captured?" Yahiko inquired.

"Oh right, about that, there is a mountain near this town, approximately ten kilometers north-west. Bring him there, at night preferably; one of my agents will be waiting for you."

"Well, I guess that would be all…" Naruto stated as he and Yahiko rose from their seats, with Portia following their example. "It was nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Portia." The blond declared as he shook the purple haired beauty's hand.

"Please, the pleasure was mine."

 ** _Line-Break_**

After leaving Portia's mansion, the two mercenaries decided to walk around the town for a little while, doing nothing and simply enjoying the view. Well, in Yahiko's case at least. Naruto on the other hand was not so open to the world and was busy thinking in a matter that bogged his mind ever since they left Portia's mansion.

"Hey Naruto, you got a problem in that head of yours?" Yahiko asked as he saw his blond friend deep in thought.

"No, it's just…Did you feel something wrong when we were in that room with that Portia woman?" Naruto asked. He just needed to understand what that strange feeling he felt back there was.

"Something strange?" Yahiko repeated before his face adopted a thinking pose. "Hmm, well besides the fact that she looked at you with the 'I'm gonna tie you up and pound you over and over' look and that she was smoking hot…No, I don't think so."

They both turned around and entered a back alley as Naruto rolled his eyes. "Very funny, pumpkin head, but that's not what I'm talking about. I just felt like…I don't know…like I have met her before or something like that…But I'm sure that I have never saw her before…"

"You're probably hallucinating, because that kind of beauty stays etched in your mind. Forgetting it is simply impossible." Yahiko added in a matter-of-factly, gaining a deadpanning stare from Naruto. "What? I was just telling the truth."

"Helloooooooooooooooooo." A third voice chimed out of the blue.

Before neither could've reacted, something _literally_ sprouted from the ground before them, like a flower of some sort, except that what this wasn't a flower. It was a man. A green haired man with yellow eyes and a very, very pale skin color. What's more, he was wearing a white suit over a white shirt, along with white pants and white boots. Oh yeah, and he had that disturbingly gleeful smile on his face.

To sum up, he is a white elegantly dressed creepy looking man that just sprouted from the ground.

"What…the heck…is that…?" Yahiko asked as he blinked several times, too shocked to do anything besides looking at Naruto with a questioning look and pointing a finger at the green haired entity.

"Relax, he's with us." Naruto stated offhandedly. "Yahiko, meet Zetsu, the Nighthawks number one spy."

"Hi!" Zetsu waved to the two spiky haired men.

Getting over his initial shock, Yahiko couldn't help but letting a dry comment escape his lips. "Lovely…you got a plant-man hybrid thingy as our best spy…just lovely…"

Ignoring the orange haired man's statement, Naruto turned to Zetsu. "So what are you here for? Is something wrong happening?"

"Nope, I just wanted to tell you that _those guys_ have accepted, but they say you'll have to prove your worth. They're in the south forest near this town. Don't keep them waiting. Have fun!" Zetsu exclaimed hurriedly before sinking in the ground again.

After a few seconds of silence, Yahiko turned to Naruto with a questioning look. "What was he talking about?"

Sighing lightly, Naruto marched forward as he responded. "I'll explain in the road. Let's go."

 ** _Line-Break_**

 **BOOM!**

Right in the middle of the green blanket known as the forest, a huge explosion resonated, followed shortly after with a giant dust cloud. Crows cried in the background and fled the area, frightened by the sudden commotion.

Trees were blown away, rocks and debris were scattered everywhere, and bodies filled the place and their moist blood soiled the ground.

A few hours ago, this clearing was a base to a dark guild called Demon Horn, though it was a minor one and nobody really gave a damn about it. But all that's left of it now is a destroyed building and murdered staff that were spread out in the forest.

And amidst this entire mess, only two persons were alive, and one of them was strangling the other with one hand as he lifted him in the air.

"P-please…spare m-me…" the strangled man choked out, but his plea had little effect on his aggressor.

Said aggressor was a tall man with a white hood covering his head and a black mask hiding his lower face, leaving only a pair of glaring pupiless green eyes within their red sclerae. He wore a dark sleeveless overcoat with a white sash around the waist and no shirt underneath, grey pants and grey open toed sandals. His arms, which were left exposed, sported many scars that were sewed together with stitches, and on his back were four different masks.

In one motion, the tall man tightened his grip and a crack was heard. He then tossed the dead man and scowled beneath his mask. "What a bunch of weaklings…They aren't worth half the title of 'Dark mage' they have…"

"Chill out, old man. They're already dead. Besides, they were a minor dark guild; what fighting level were you expecting them to have?" A masculine voice called from behind the green eyed man, who only glanced over his shoulder with his facial expression still glaring.

The unknown speaker was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, his face sporting a cheeky smirk on his face. He was a young man with shoulder-length black hair and thin icy blue eyes. He wore a short sleeve black shirt under a tan knee-length jacket, a brown belt to hold up his blue jeans and blue sneakers. He completed his attire with an orange bandana around his neck.

The masked person simply huffed. "A level worth the time I wasted. In case you forgot, I don't like to waste my money, and time-"

"-is money. Yeah, yeah, I know it. Don't get all grumpy on me." The black haired man stated with a roll of his eyes. Sometimes he really wondered what he was doing with this greedy bastard.

" **Mizu Maho: Daibakufu (Water Magic: Great Waterfall)!"**

A shout was heard in the forest, and both men turned to its direction, only for their eyes to meet an incoming wave of water that reached at least ten meters in height. The masked man did not move from his position and stood his ground whilst his partner quickly appeared in front of him and brought his hands forward. A bluish-green Magic seal appeared below them and started to glow lightly.

" **Energy Field!"**

Just as he spoke the name, a medium sized bluish-green barrier appeared around both him and his partner, and seconds later the waterfall crushed down on them. There was a big 'splash' sound as the wave of water impacted; cleaning whatever blood was spilled on the ground and sending debris and corpses away. After receding and disappearing, the wave of water had left nothing but a couple of debris and rocks here and there, with the rest all pushed far inside the forest. However, the energy field did not budge one inch from its initial position.

"Seems someone wanted to force us into taking a douche..." The black haired man declared offhandedly as he released his barrier.

"They're over there…" the tall and masked person declared as he stared blankly at the trees adjacent of his position.

Raising a confused eyebrow, the black haired person stared at the same direction his partner was, trying to discern who was coming. He may not be a sensor like the taller man, but his body had some _upgrades_ that allowed his senses to detect nearby magic signatures efficiently, albeit nowhere near his partner's level.

He detected only two male presences walking calmly in their direction. Though this was not what bothered him. No, what bothered him was that the blond of the two had magic reserves that exceeded his and were slightly bigger than his partner's, despite both of them being veteran S-class mages. _'Interesting…'_ He thought with a smirk.

The two presences finally entered the clearing, and revealed themselves to be none other than Naruto and Yahiko, both of them holding pokerfaced expressions on their faces.

"Who are you? What do you want?" the tall masked man asked with a glare.

"You should know who we are, Stone Cold Kakuzu. After all, you're the one who wanted us to 'prove our worth'." Naruto stated impassively.

The tall man now named Kakuzu widened his eyes briefly. Only a handful of people knew of his existence, one of them being his partner and the other being that weird plant man who they met two weeks ago. Connecting the dots in his head, Kakuzu released a light chuckle from his lips. "I see. So you two are from those Nighthawks mercenaries that plant guy told us about, huh?"

"We are." It was Yahiko who answered this time.

"I have heard a lot about your accomplishments in the last two years, and I considered accepting your invitation because it had many benefits for me, mainly the easy money that I would gain. But you won't gain my membership unless you prove to me that I am not joining a group of weaklings." Kakuzu said as he stepped forward. "So who of you two am I going to fight?"

"As leader of the Nighthawks, I must take care of such matters myself." Naruto declared as he two stepped forward. He then turned to the black haired man with a questioning look. "Will you fight too?"

"Nah, this 'prove your worth' thing is the old man's idea. I just like to have fun while travelling, and being a mercenary kind of grants me both, so I'm okay as long as you beat old bones over here." He stated before retreating to the nearby tree, following shortly after by Yahiko.

"Hi there." The orange haired man greeted casually.

Back with Naruto and Kakuzu, the two were now in their respective stances and were waiting for each other to make their first move. Their eyes were locked with each other's, waiting for an opening to lunge forward. A leaf slowly descended in the space between them, swaying left and right, but the two did not once look at it and kept their focus on each other's movement.

Meanwhile, Naruto's mind was remembering the reasons he was fighting the man before him. There was only two, and both were important for him. The first was to gain a powerful ally as well as a wider number of clients, and by extension more money, as the masked man was renowned in the black market as the best bounty hunter ever from what Zetsu told him. The second was somewhat more personal; He didn't fight an extremely skilled mage such as Kakuzu up to now and he wanted to know how he would fair against him. In short, this is one fight was very important for his goal, and even though he had little information on Kakuzu's fighting style except that he uses stitches through his Lost Magic Jiongu, he wasn't intending to lose.

Slowly, very slowly, the leaf continued its descent to the ground, and after what felt like forever, it finally touched the ground.

The two mages didn't waste an instant.

Both immediately lunged at each other and engaged in a fierce match of hand to hand combat. Kakuzu made the first move by a straight punch, but Naruto dodged it and gave an uppercut to the masked man's chin. However, Kakuzu caught the uppercut and kneed the blond in the stomach, sending him back a few feet.

The masked man charged again as he disappeared out of view, reappearing right behind the blond with his fist reared back. Thinking quickly, Naruto ignited his arm in flames and turned to meet the man's fist with his own. A shockwave was created from the impact and sent the two opponents from each other. Summoning two balls of fire in his hands, Naruto threw them at Kakuzu, but the man avoided them and dashed at the blond.

In a burst of speed, Naruto met Kakuzu's dash with his own, his hands ignited in his gold fire. Kakuzu started his assault with a kick that Naruto blocked, and the blond counterattacked with two jabs followed by a back kick. Kakuzu dodged the kick and elbowed Naruto on the chin. Kakuzu then jumped in the air and aimed a strong punch to the face, but Naruto managed to block just in time. Though, he did not expect the force behind the punch, as it felt like he was hit by a truck, hence why he had been propelled a few feet back.

Naruto grunted lightly as he crackled his fist, feeling that it was a little numb. But he couldn't dwell on the matter anymore as he jumped back just in time to avoid Kakuzu crushing him with a descending fist. Naruto, still in midair, quickly summoned a red magical seal and sent a beam of fire at Kakuzu, but the man simply punched the ground again and an earth wall rose to protect him, creating a dust cloud in the process.

Growling lowly, Naruto landed on the ground and was about to lunge, only for a hand to emerge from the smoke screen and seize his throat. The blond tried to resist, but the grip was very strong. Following the hand's trail, Naruto was shocked to see that it extended all the way to Kakuzu's position, with the arm itself made of gray stitches. _'Must be the Jiongu Lost Magic…Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought.'_

"What's the matter, boy? Over so soon?" Kakuzu taunted, only for his eyes to widen slightly when Naruto vanished in a burst of fire. _'A fire-based teleportation spell…Not bad kid…'_ The masked man thought as he quickly retracted his arm and started scanning the area, knowing that the blond would try to blindside him now that he got the element of surprise. He heard a crack sound beneath his feet and, acting on instinct, he jumped away immediately as he saw multiple golden chains erupting from the ground, missing his head by a hair.

"You're making this too easy for me, stitch bag. Come on, is that the best you got?" Naruto declared as he appeared in front of Kakuzu with another burst of fire.

But Kakuzu did not hear the blonde's statement, because his mind and eyes were fixated on the golden chains that Naruto summoned as they retreated back to the ground, trying to see if assumptions were correct. And despite his certitude, he refused to admit it in his mind. It simply cannot be! Those cannot be the **Null Chain Magic** , the magic that allow the user to summon chains capable of annulling any form of magic upon contact. Of course the stronger the spell, the harder is to negate its effects, but that's off the topic. THE point is that for the blonde to use those specific chains, he had to be _her_ son or relative, and Kakuzu was sure that neither were the case.

An image of a very old redhead woman and another redhead who was only ten years flashed before him, and the old man narrowed his eyes at the blond. He was not matching with either of the persons he knew that could use those chains, and yet he was sure that he was not faked them. The color and the design were one hundred percent identic with the one he remembered in his memory.

Finding no answer within his mind, Kakuzu decided to ask the user himself on the matter, his eyes fixated on a suspicious glare. "Where did you learn that spell, brat?"

"Uh…I didn't. It was kind of with me for me as long as I remember." The blond replied with a shrug before reentering his fighting stance. He couldn't afford to let his guard down against this guy if he wanted to win.

The masked mage narrowed his eyes further, not liking the answer he had been given. He did not have much hope in his theory that the blond before him had a connection to _her_ , but those chains were a strong clue. After all, only someone with _her_ blood could use it. But regardless of that, if he could use a strong spell such as those chains, then he would have to be much stronger than what he shows now, and in that case holding back is simply going to waste time, and by extension money. And Kakuzu would not allow that.

"Hmm…I see. You said that I was going easy on you right? Well then, how about we top this fight to the next level?" Kakuzu asked as the four masks in his back started twitching slightly before peeling off him along with a considerable amount of strings. All four masks took different shapes, yet they all shared a pair of wings made of strings.

Naruto smirked cheekily. "Bring it on, old man."

One of the masks, the one with red markings, cracked his jaw open and a red magic seal appeared in front of it whilst Kakuzu crossed his arms with a huff. "Show me what you got, kid. **Hi no Maho: Zukkoku (Fire Magic: Searing Migraine)!"**

Almost immediately after Kakuzu ended his sentence, the creature let loose a firestorm that soared in Naruto's direction, its size too big for him to try and dodge.

Instead of dodging, Naruto slammed his hands on the ground and summoned forth a great number of his golden chains and made them act as a shield to the incoming fire attack while he distanced himself from it…

" **Kaze Maho: Atsugai (Wind Magic: Pressure Damage)!"**

…Only for another one of the stitch creatures to launch a tornado of wind from his behind.

"SHIT!" Naruto cursed as he glanced back at the quickly approaching attack. Thinking quickly, he summoned a golden chain from his arm and used it to tug himself out of the incoming tempest. Just as soon as he landed, a lightning bolt and a water bullet came in his way and he narrowly dodged them. The same could be said about the horde of fiery shots that hurried at him right after that, as well as the following air bullets. More and more elemental spells were fired at him continuously each time he dodged one, and Naruto was starting to get really annoyed. _'These shitty flying things are starting to get on my nerves. I need to get rid of them…'_

An idea popped into his mind, slowly bringing a smirk to his face as he continued to avoid Kakuzu's flying creatures. _'Time to counterattack…'_ He thought. Channeling magic to his right hand, he summoned a sword via a **Requip Magic**. Its handle and curved guard were pure white with streaks of yellow, whilst the sharp blade was glowing a golden color similar to Naruto's flames.

As the flying creatures closed in, Naruto suddenly halted his movement, spun on his heels, ignited his sword with a layer of fire, and slashed horizontally. The outcome was a dozen waves of golden fire soaring at the stitched creatures, but none of them were killed in the process. However, they did not know that the slashes were merely a decoy to the next attack…

" **Netsu Funka (Thermal Eruption)!"**

…Hence why the water mask was completely incinerated by a column of fire that erupted from the ground below it.

"One down, three to go." Naruto stated with triumph in his voice. The blond then sped toward the three remaining creatures with a blurring speed, slashing through their attacks as he got closer. He was just about a meter away from cutting another mask when Kakuzu appeared in front and blocked his sword, with his bare hands.

"What the fuck?" Naruto exclaimed, his face betraying the shock that he felt. How in the hell can this guy's skin be hard enough to freaking BLOCK an attack from a sword set on fire?

"Sorry brat, but physical attacks don't have any effect on me, even if enhanced with an element and no matter how strong they are." Kakuzu spoke as he kicked the blond in the ribs, sending him to the ground where he managed to adjust himself just in time to avoid the impact.

Kakuzu followed after him with a lunged kick that Naruto ducked under. However, Kakuzu caught him with his string stretching arm and started slamming him left and right before launching toward a tree. The blond had other plans though. Just as he was about to crash into the tree, he adjusted himself and landed on his feet, then he projected himself forward through a golden yellow magic seal he summoned. His entire form was covered in golden fire as he soared toward Kakuzu with great speed.

" **Ensei (Fire Comet)!"**

"It seems that you didn't get it yet, brat. Physical attacks don't work on me." Kakuzu stated as he stood his ground, not moving an inch. He had to admit that the brat was quite intriguing with his unusual form of Fire Magic and the golden chains, and for a person like Kakuzu who is almost a hundred years old, intriguing persons were very rare to find. But if this blond brat thought that attacking him head on was a good counterattack, then his intellectual prowess were not catching up to his potential in battle.

That last thought was going to be reconsidered in Kakuzu's head shortly after this moment.

As Naruto was about two meters away from impacting against Kakuzu, who secretly had hardened his skin to block the incoming fiery blond, chains emerged from the ground in front of Kakuzu and at his sides, making the ninety years old man widen his eyes and leap back instantly, his body using the instinct he developed during his long years as a bounty hunter. Every time his feet touched the grass, more chains would tear the ground and lunge at him, forcing him to continue his retreating leaps. _'Damn those chains…'_ Kakuzu cursed inwardly, before an alarming thought crossed his mind. _'Wait a second! Where's the brat?'_

"Over here!" A familiar voice called out, and against his better judgment, the masked man looked up. He was met with the sight of a giant fireball heading his way. It was then that Kakuzu realized the trap he had been led in. _'He used those goddamn chains to distract me, knowing that I would avoid them, and he exploited the time he got to prepare an appropriate offensive attack. What a crafty little bastard…'_ Kakuzu thought with a slight chuckle at the end.

' _Still, it'll take more than that to take me down…'_ Kakuzu added in his mind before he slammed both his hands in the ground, summoning forth a big earth wall to protect him from the incoming fire attack. It didn't help much though, 'cause the fireball exploded on contact and generated a huge amount of dust, which was all Naruto could see as he landed on the grassy ground in a low crouch.

A few lightning bolts alerted him of the approaching lightning mask, but Naruto managed to block them with his sword. However, the mask was not done as it started charging electricity around its body and sped toward Naruto, with said blond jumping high in the air with his sword ignited on fire.

" **Kaminari Maho: Gian (Lightning Magic: False Darkness)!"**

" **Zanshu Engeki (Beheading Fire Slash)!"**

A thick beam of lightning met a wave of golden fire, and both annulled each other upon impact, leaving a big dust cloud in the middle. Unfortunately for the stitched mask, Naruto wasn't done yet…

" **Hiken!"**

…and had sent a huge fist of fire forward that incinerated the lightning mask to the last stitch.

"Two down, two to go." Naruto declared with a smirk, only for it to fade as he witnessed the sight before him, the dust cloud created from his last attack no longer existing. The last remaining stitch creatures were _merging_ with Kakuzu, turning him into a creepy stitch-like hybrid with treads leaking from every part of his body, even his mouth. And as if that wasn't enough, Naruto could clearly sense that Kakuzu's magic power have doubled. "Oh crap. You gotta be kidding me…"

"Hmm…I'll have to admit, kid…You were a very interesting opponent up to now. I haven't been pushed this far in a battle in quite a while…Still…" The masked man intoned before his eyes hardened. "Can you still keep up?" Kakuzu declared as he vanished out of sight, startling the blonde.

"Shit! Where the hell did he go?" Naruto wondered as he started to look for his opponent frantically. _'Not at my left, not at my right and not behind me. That leaves…'_ Naruto snapped his head up, and just as he suspected, Kakuzu was looming high above in the air, and he was sending multiple giant tread tentacles in his direction.

Naruto managed to dodge them narrowly, but the bounty hunter expected that reaction, and as such he immediately started firing beams of wind and fire at him in wide angles, making it impossible to dodge, and thus forcing Naruto to counterattack by cutting every one of them with his fiery sword. One after one, albeit with sweat running over his skin and slightly labored breaths, Naruto sliced every wind or fire attack that came close to him in half with an amazing speed, and it started to become clear to Kakuzu that his attack was fruitless, so the bounty hunter opted for a more 'widespread' approach.

"Get ready to be carbonized, brat." Kakuzu announced as both his remaining masks opened their mouths widely, a great amount of ethernano starting to build within them.

"You wish…" Naruto replied with a smirk as he drew both of his hands back and grit his teeth, channeling an amount of ethernano equaling the amount Kakuzu was using. He rarely used this technique because it was one of his finisher moves, and because it took a heavy toll on his body, but right now he had a plan that was worth the shot.

Kakuzu merely grunted before his masks let loose a giant hurricane of wind and a massive inferno. Both attacks merged through a giant magic seal, with the result being an immense firestorm heading straight for Naruto. Even from the distance they were at, Naruto could clearly feel the intense heat emanated from the attack. So hot it was in fact, the trees' leaves couldn't bare it and started thawing away.

But the blond did not simply stand there and had fired his own fire spell; a massive fire beam that was shot from his palms as he thrust them forward. It carved the ground deeply in its trip to meet Kakuzu's attack, burning the green grass carelessly and tearing through anything in its path.

" **Gattai Maho: Issei Hoka (Unison Raid: Simultaneous Arson)!"**

" **Hijutsu: Jigoku Kaenso (Secret Art: Hell Blazing Spear)!"**

Both spells sped toward each other and collided in a fierce clash for dominance. For a few seconds, neither mages appeared to have the upper hand as both users poured great amounts of magic in their respective attacks, both not wanting to be in the receiving end of either fire blasts. But slowly, _very_ slowly, Kakuzu's spell started to overwhelm Naruto's, something the blond had noticed as he was starting to get pushed back, his feet carving twin straight lines in the ground.

A hissing sound registered in Naruto's ears and he looked up to investigate, only for his eyes to widen as he saw six incoming sharp-tipped big thread tentacles hurrying in his direction, and because of the stalemate he was currently undergoing against Kakuzu, he couldn't dodge or even block. He was pinned down!

' _Let's see how he'll manage this one…'_ Kakuzu thought with a smirk, or at least it looked like a smirk with the stitch-like tongue that was escaping his lips. It's kind of hard to tell really.

" **Hibashira!"**

A column of fire erupted from Naruto's position to shield its user from the stitch tentacles. But by doing that, Naruto had lessened the power he used in his stalemate against Kakuzu.

Result: Kakuzu's stitch tentacles pierced through the fire column and Naruto's fire beam got overwhelmed by Kakuzu's. Needless to say, Naruto found himself in a very shitty position, but despite that, he smirked lightly.

 **Crash! Crash! Boom!**

And the impact was made, creating a large crater on the charred ground, as well as burning about three kilometers of the forest, but Kakuzu didn't care about that. He was busy scanning the area for the blond brat. Normally he would simply use his sensor abilities for such a task, but unfortunately, this ability was lost with his water mask's destruction. Several seconds passed, and there was no sign of the blond mage; no limbs, no body, no blood, just nothing. Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, _'Where did that little bastard go…'_ he wondered as he continued his search.

"NOW!" A voice screamed behind him, and the masked man was quick to turn despite being the air. Kakuzu widened his eyes at the sight before him. Three Naruto were coming in his way as they had just jumped from the ground with a boost of fire, each one grinning cheekily at him. He knew that two of them must be **Thought Projection** clones; that magic wasn't uncommon to be in the arsenal of anyone above S-class level, but that was not why he had widened his eyes.

The reason of his shock was because of the middle Naruto, or rather what he had in his palm; A torso-sized ball of fire that shone with a golden hue surrounded with three hand-sized smaller golden fireballs that spun around it in a way similar to the solar system, all of them rotating with a speed that made it seem almost unmoving, but Kakuzu knew better. He had seen this technique before, after all. Though this one seems much more advanced than the one he remembered. _'Can this kid get any more surprising…?'_ Kakuzu thought drily before sending thread tendrils toward the trio.

The Naruto's at the sides expected the reaction, and as such they kicked the one holding the fireball upward while they took on the stitch tendrils. The clones were skewered by the tendrils and they dispelled, making Kakuzu's focus return to the remaining blond. _'What was he hoping to achieve by that evasive jump? He'll need to come in direct contact to attack with this technique…Unless…'_

" **Ogonshoku Wakusei Rasengan (Golden Planetary Rasengan)!"**

To Kakuzu's surprise and shock, Naruto _threw_ the flaming ball at him, catching him completely off guard. Knowing the danger that he was in should the attack deliver a direct hit, Kakuzu quickly withdrew the tendrils that he shot at the blond and created a shield of stitches in front of him. He even hardened them through his **Earth Magic** to increase their defense. But in the end, it was all futile.

The golden planet-like spinning ball soared through the air and impacted harshly against Kakuzu's stitches, its burning heat tearing through them slowly. And then, in a sudden second, the fireball detonated, creating a huge wave-like vortex of fire that tore through the hardened stitches. _'SHIT!'_ Kakuzu shouted in his mind before he was blasted with a powerful torrent of fire that made him scream in pain as he was sent sailing in the air and crashing into a tree.

Smirking in victory, Naruto landed and panted lightly. Had he be anyone else, he would have been left drained of ethernano due to the big amount of magic this technique needed to be executed and the stress it applies on the user's body, especially when used after an advanced spell like his **Hijitsu: Jigoku Kaenso.** But because of his ridiculous stamina, his impossible healing factor and his gigantic magic reserves, he could manage such a situation with minimum stress on his body.

"Well, that will probably keep him down for a while…" Naruto murmured to himself as he cracked his neck. He didn't use his last attack to its maximum potential; that level would kill Kakuzu for sure, and Naruto didn't want that to happen.

Suddenly, Naruto's danger senses kicked in and alerted him of a danger behind him. Almost instantly, Naruto spun on his heels and blocked a fist that would have ended his head's relationship with his neck. Naruto grunted lightly at the power behind the punch but he stood his ground.

"Not letting your guard down even after being certain of your opponent defeat. That's a smart move, kid." A familiar gruff voice praised Naruto before another punch was thrown, forcing the blond to jump back. Naruto's face was marred with a frown as he stared at his assailant, who was none other than Kakuzu. The masked man's coat was discarded, displaying the clear burn marks on his torso, as well as other ones located on his pants. Surprisingly, his white hood was still on despite the ordeal that the man had just faced.

"How in the hell could you be still standing after receiving a direct hit from my Rasengan?" Naruto asked curiously. Kakuzu may be the strongest opponent he faced to date, but Naruto had a hard time believing that the man could take one of his strongest attacks and still be standing.

Kakuzu merely smirked. "You're not the only one that knows **Teleportation Magic.** "

An understanding look lit Naruto's face before he started stretching his muscles. "So what now? Do you still want me to continue?"

Kakuzu shook his head negatively. "No, I don't. The only reason I demanded that challenge was to make sure that the rumors about your group were not exaggerated and that you were truly composed of capable mages. But seeing as you proved to be a worthy opponent, both in combat and tactic, I don't think that you would accept weaklings in your entourage, which is more than fine in my book. But I want to ask; your _messenger_ informed me that you have a stable base somewhere in the sea, away from the Council's radar. Is that true?"

"Yep, and it's big enough to house a couple dozen of people, as well as equipped with all kind of stuff needed to live in it."

Kakuzu nodded his head as he walked toward the blond. "Good, then I guess you could consider me a member of you rascals mercenaries, brat." The masked old man stated as he shook hands with Naruto.

"Welcome aboard. Though, can you do me a favor and stop calling me brat?"

"You never told me you name…"

"Oh…sorry…" Naruto scratched the back of his neck as his face became sheepish. "Anyways, my name's Naruto. **Seien no Naruto** (Holy Flames Naruto)"

"FINALLY! I thought you guys will take the whole day to end this shit!" A voice shouted from their left, and both mages turned to see a frustrated Yahiko and the impassive black haired man coming their way.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Oh hush Yahiko. If you're so upset about it, why didn't you fight him yourself?"

Yahiko was about to retort but he was interrupted by the black haired man. "Well what do you know, you actually got your ass handed to you, old man. That battle was a sight to behold."

Kakuzu glared darkly. "If you value your life, you better shut your mouth, Seventeen."

Naruto's face adopted a look of confusion as he turned his head to look at the black haired man. "Seventeen?"

"Before you ask, yeah my name is a number and yeah it's for a reason. Now how about we get moving to this base of yours before stitch bag over here gets angry for no reason as he always does and start destroying everything, which would result in more shaved hair for Mother Nature." Seventeen reasoned as he pointed at their surroundings, which consisted of destroyed earth and burning forest.

"Uh...sure. If you insist…" Naruto shrugged as he started walking, followed by Yahiko and Seventeen. Kakuzu trailed behind them as he starred at Naruto's back, his mind deep in thoughts. _'The_ ** _Null Chains_** _, the_ ** _Rasengan_** _and the_ ** _Holy Gold Fire_** _; all three wielded by one person. And this wasn't even his full potential in battle. Just who is this kid? Could it be a mere coincidence that he reminds me of her…or perhaps is it something more?'_ Kakuzu wondered as he continued to walk, his mind continuously showing him numerous images of a small redheaded girl. Shaking his head off, Kakuzu continued his walk with one last thought.

' _Guess the future will give me the answer eventually…'_

If only he knew how right he was…

 ** _Line-Break_**

 **Worth Woodsea**

For those of you who don't know it, Worth Woodsea is a large forest localized in the northern part of Fiore Kingdom. It was, once upon a time, one of the beautiful forests in all of Fiore, until a few centuries ago where it was polluted by an 'unknown source'. The forest's vegetation suffered greatly because of the now impure state of the environment, hence the dark color that many a plant had.

That being said, not ALL of the forest was contaminated with pollution, as there were some spots that maintained their purity, among them a mini island surrounded by waterfalls from all sides. If one would look at it from an aerial view point, they would have a hard time guess that such a beautiful site was actually a cover for what is below it; a huge cave that served as the HQ of one of Fiore's top three Dark guilds; Oracion Seis. Said cave was twice bigger than the mini island, with multiple rooms, corridors and machines.

The place was void of light except for the few lit candles in the walls as a tall man was calmly making his way through, his expression pokerfaced. He had neat silver hair that reaches his shoulders, dark eyes and a dark complexion. Straight black lines were drawn on his face, hands and chest, with the latter sporting an Oracion Seis guild stamp in its middle. His attire consisted of a white cape that did little to hide his muscled built, blue pants with a belt around his waist and dark blue boots. In his right hand, he was grasping what appeared to be a shaman staff or something of the kind.

He continued to walk for a long while, before finally stopping in front of a door. He pressed his left hand on it and a dark green magic seal materialized, followed by a number of smaller that appeared on the door that seemed to absorb the man's magic seal. This continued for but a few seconds, and then all magic seals disappeared at once and the door opened itself slowly.

The silver haired man made his way in and entered what appeared to be a laboratory. The room was filled with gadgets, computers, and documents, slimy experiments in jars, and other things usually found in a laboratory. But the silver haired man's attention was drawn to a particular direction, where a man was standing with two giant green tubes in his line of sight. From his position facing the back of the mysterious man and because of the lack of light in the room, the silver haired man could only see the man's waist length black hair, his purple suit and equally purple pants along with purple shoes.

"You're late, Brain…" The mysterious person exclaimed with an even tone.

"That's not my fault. You didn't specify that you will meet me here and not at our regular rendezvous point…" the silver haired man now known as Brain replied as he made his way to the purple wearing man.

"I did not?" The black haired man wondered before chuckling. "Hmhmhm, I guess you're right. But regardless of that, the important matter is that you have arrived. Now then, let us get down to business."

"Am I right to guess that whatever business you want to establish with me has a relation with those tubes?" Brain inquired as he pointed at the two tubes before him with his staff.

"Indeed, it does have a relation. Here, read those and you'll understand everything." The purple wearing man stated as he handed Brain two folders.

Raising an eyebrow, Brain took the dossiers and gazed at them, noticing that one is titled 'Project E' while the other was named 'Project L'. Feeling his interest peek, Brain opened the folders and read the documents inside, and instantly his eyes widened in surprise. The more he read, the more his surprise grew and the more his eyes widened. When he finally closed them, he gave a quizzical look to the purple wearing man. "Is the information in these documents accurate?"

The black haired man chuckled before replying. "But of course. Who do you take us for? These projects were made and supervised by experts in their field of work, and you know very well who I am talking about."

"And why did you bring them here in that case? Do not tell me that _they_ cannot take care of those two and you dumped the responsibility on my guild?"

"That's not the issue. You see, these two projects over here are simply a prototype to what we are intending to make, but we have no information on the degree of success that they have achieved, both physically and mentally. The medical stats indicated that they are operational, but as scientists, you and I both know that nothing equals field experience, and currently these two have absolutely zero percent of it. We need to know how they would react in the open field." The black haired man explained as he crossed his arms.

"But why my guild specifically? Wouldn't Grimoire Heart be more suited for this job? After all, they have more personnel than us, and I am not talking about cannon fodders." Brain inquired as he relooked the folders in his hands.

"Well, there is a specific reason for that. We want to see how they would perform in a fight against 'certain' opponents. And currently, your guild is closer to that objective. That old man that lives in the vicinity and his guild Cait Shelter have already notified the Magic Council about you and they will soon send some legal guilds members to eliminate you, hopefully one from Fairy Tail; they have the 'certain' opponents we desire." The mysterious person clarified. "Besides, all the information you'll need to hold them under your control is included within the documents in your hands."

The mysterious purple wearing man turned to leave as he saw Brain nod. He halted in his steps however when the dark skinned man called to him.

"Send my regards to your boss when you meet him, Orochimaru."

Slowly, the man, now known as Orochimaru, glanced over his shoulder, revealing his deathly pale skin and his yellow snake-like eyes that held a hint of mischief with his lips curving themselves into a smirk.

"Will do."

A purple magic appeared suddenly under Orochimaru's feet, and in a blink of an eye and a flash of purple light, he disappeared, leaving Brain alone with the two tubes as he continued to reread the documents handed to him.

 **And DONE!**

 **Phew…to be honest, I wanted to publish this chapter a week ago, but I was reading other stories and watching movies to get more ideas and I didn't find the time to write. Sorry...  
**

 **Anyway, what do you guys think of this chapter? Like it? Hate it? Whatever your opinion is, leave a review and express it. It'll help me in seeing if I am going in the right path with this story.**

 **P.S.: I'm sure someone would ask, so I will answer right now. Yes, the Seventeen in this story is the one from DBZ franchise. I thought that his character was cool with all this android stuff he had, but before anyone object, I 'm going to tell you that his** _ **skills**_ **are going to be somewhat different from the one in DBZ.  
**

 **Another P.S: Portia is a character from the android game Inotia 4. Just in case you wanted to see how she looked like.**

 **Okay, I believe that's it. Stay tuned for another chapter and see ya later.**

 **Neo Madara Uchiha, out.**


	4. Chapter 4: Crashing a Party, Part 1

**Hello there, Neo Madara Uchiha is back! YEEHAH! Phew…In all honesty I didn't thought I would be able to post this chapter because all the school preparations and what not, but I managed to! Anyway, before we start this chapter, I want to say that I have revised my story a few times up until now and have noticed that I need to point out some things in chapter one. I just figured them out recently and I thought that this story's direction is way too vague, despite chapter 2 giving an insight on some of the future enemies. Because of that, I'll like to state this:**

 **This story is going to be fully centered around the Nighthawks** **: That decision is mainly because the path that Naruto and his group are going to follow in this story is completely different from the one that Fairy Tail follows. There's gonna be sometimes when they will cross paths, sure, but otherwise Fairy Tail's involvement in this story is going to be minimum until way much later on. I originally wanted to write this story in the Narutoverse, but Fairy Tail universe have a much bigger world map that is completely unused and allow a lot of liberty for all kind of ideas to be exploited, as well as a more open array for abilities.**

 **I guess that is it…Yeah that's it.**

 **Oh and another thing: Thanks for all the people who liked this story and found it interesting, even if slightly. Though some more reviews would be appriciated. Now, and without further delay…**

 **HERE GOES ANOTHER CHAPTER OF THE NIGHTHAWKS! YEEHAH!**

 ** **Edit: 9/11/2017: This goddamn keybord of mine is seriously gonna drive me nuts. Anyways, I just fixed some mistakes in the chapter that seemed somewhat stupid to make. Special thanks to Fuyuriku for pointing them out. The content is still the same.****

"Oops…" – Talks

 _'Ooopsy…'_ – Thoughts

 **"Blast!"** – Techniques

 **Nighthawks**

 **Chapter 4: Crashing a Party, Part 1**

"Man is this comfortable! I haven't sat in a couch in _ages_ , and even then it was cheap stuff because a certain bastard wanted to economize our budget." Seventeen sighed as he eased himself in the couch of the Nighthawks' lounge. His comment earned him a glare from Kakuzu, but the masked man didn't react any further as he instead choose to allow himself a rare moment of relaxation as he leaned in his seat. Being engrossed in the business of bounty hunting for over five decades, he did not have that many chances to take it easy. Not that he wanted to anyway back at the time.

The trip from Fiore to the mercenaries' home was an uneventful five days flight in one of Deidara's birds. A bit of unimportant chit-chat to pass the time but otherwise nothing worth mentioning happened.

They attained the base last night, at nightfall to be exact. Because of that, they have been given a hasty introduction of the members of the mercenary group and a quick meal before everyone retreated to their quarters. Now that morning has rose, the two bounty hunters got a good look at all of the group members, which was, in Kakuzu's opinion, composed of: A pyromaniac with manners (Naruto), a playboy pumpkin head (Yahiko), a sardonic demon/human hybrid (Nero), an impassive Hyuga (Neji), a pretty boy with a crazy mind and a fetish for explosions (Deidara), another pretty boy who fights with keys (Roxas) and finally an expressionless redhead sandy boy (Gaara).

And now he and his partner were added to this entourage: a greedy stitch bag with an impossibly short temper (Kakuzu) and a junk museum hidden underneath a human body (Seventeen).

A 'group of rascals' is the only fitting description that Kakuzu's mind could come up with for this assembly.

Right now they were all sitting in one of the lounge's round tables, awaiting their breakfast to be served. And from the sweet smell that travelled all the way from the kitchen to their noses, the mercenaries had a hard time keeping their stomachs quiet.

"Hey Roxas! You're done yet?" Deidara yelled as he titled his head back, his face holding a grimace that reflected his impatience.

"Coming! Coming!" Roxas yelled back as he came into view, his hands holding two large plates with nine small dishes with numerous kinds of food on them, such as; bacons, eggs, some sausage, sandwiches, pancakes, salads and other stuffs, all cooked very nicely to the point that the smell alone was somewhat intoxicating, especially for Naruto who was given extra bowls of ramen along with his meal. "Bon appétit!"

Seventeen took a bite after Roxas gave each one his ration, and almost immediately he looked at Roxas with an awed expression. "Holy shit! Did you cook _all this_ by yourself!?" he received a nod from the blond in question. "That's freaking amazing! I have never tasted good food like this in, well, never!" Seventeen declared as he started digging into his food, which was a testament to how good the food was as Seventeen rarely ate because of his _unique_ body system.

"Well, thanks for the compliment. I guess that's the result of working as the main cook of a hotel for four years." Roxas replied with a casual shrug before he started eating his own meal.

"Whatever the reason is, it doesn't change the fact that this is excellent cooking skills you have. Words of experience." Kakuzu stated as he ate his meal, enjoying it thoroughly. And that was saying a lot since the only thing that Kakuzu enjoys is gathering money.

Seventeen snorted and looked at Kakuzu with a devious smirk. "Yeah right, as if a greedy ass bastard like you would know something about cooking."

Kakuzu glared darkly at Seventeen, "Shut up or else…" the masked man trailed off, leaving the threat hanging in the air. Seventeen merely widened his smirk and returned to his meal. _'Cheeky runt…'_ Kakuzu thought with a scoff.

The group continued to eat their breakfast in silence before Deidara spoke up, "Hey boss, I almost forgot about it, but we have received new requests when you were away. Here, take a look." The androgynous blonde pulled an opened envelope and tossed it to Naruto who caught it effortlessly.

"Arrigrt, ret's ree rhar rhis is arout…" The blonde spoke, his mouth stuffed with ramen. Just as he was about to get the request out of the envelope, he felt eight pair of deadpanning eyes looking at him impassively; eyes that belonged to the men around him. Raising an eyebrow, Naruto looked at them with a questioning look, wondering why they were looking at him with such odd glances. An understanding look lit his face as Yahiko mentioned to his mouth and the blonde remembered that he did not swallow his ramen, which he did in one go the moment he realized. "Sorry, now let's see what this is about…"

Naruto extracted a bunch of papers from the envelope and started reading them. "Hmm, we got here a robbery of a rare artifact, an assassination of a Duke, a body guarding mission for a celebrity… What the heck is that?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh you know, it's the kind of missions when one of those rich assholes hires us to protect him while he's taking a crap or fucking his wife in the swimming pool. We did one just six months ago if I remember correctly." Nero said with a thoughtful expression.

"You guys actually did something like that?" Seventeen asked with as surprised tone, one that he shared with Kakuzu and Yahiko.

"Well, we're not one hundred percent sure, but there was this time when we were hired to protect this rich person and his family. It was nighttime and he had gotten with his wife to the outdoor swimming pool while we stayed inside the house to watch over his daughter, and next thing we knew there was a lot of groaning and moaning coming from their direction, so we guessed the logical explanation." Neji explained casually as he sipped a cup of coffee.

"And you guys didn't do anything about it?" Seventeen found himself asking again, his interest peeked slightly.

"Well, honestly we were going to ignore them, but after an hour of them going at it Gaara kind of snapped and killed everyone." It was Roxas who answered this time.

"I do not regret it." The redhead declared impassively.

"Yeah, I'm sure you don't, buddy. Nobody's blaming you. Anyway, we then took all of their money and I added their mansion to my artistic collection." Deidara continued.

"Aka he blew the whole damn thing." Nero clarified.

"It's called ART, you ignorant bastard." Deidara snapped at the white haired man, waving his arm dangerously in front of him. He would not anyone degrade his art, no matter what.

"Tell that to someone who gives a shit." Nero shrugged, angering Deidara even more.

Luckily, Naruto cleared his throat and stopped the two from lunging at each other's throats. "I wasn't talking about the body guarding job, I was talking about _this_." Naruto pulled a blue paper from the pile of files and showed it to the rest of his team. It was completely marked with kanjis of all sorts, all looking a helluva lot more complex than the communication seal Portia gave them. Odd thing is, all of the kanjis seem to be connected to the center where a symbol was drawn; some kind of whirlpool with two swords crossed over it.

"What the hell is this thing?" Yahiko exclaimed as he examined the piece of paper carefully, fascinated by the masterfulness used to draw the kanjis. They were so clear that even though they were written in a very small size, he could perceive them perfectly. Although he did not understand one damn thing.

"That's what I was wondering, Sherlock." Naruto replied humorlessly.

"How about you let me examine it at the laboratory? I'm sure I'll be able to discover something." Seventeen suggested. Naruto had found that the man is an engineer and a bio-mechanist when he was introducing them to the base's inoperative laboratory and the black haired man asked him if he could give it a look. Naruto of course accepted, and to his surprise, the black haired man fixed the place in one night.

How such a feat was even possible was a question that constantly pooped in Naruto's mind after he was told that everything became operational when he woke up. Still, it didn't bother him _that_ much. The laboratory was fixed, and that's all that matters.

"Sure thing." Naruto nodded as Seventeen got the kanji-filled paper. The black haired excused himself and went to the laboratory, intending on running a few experiences on the paper in his hand.

"Wonder who would send something like that to us, and for what purpose? It clearly isn't a job request, and there isn't even an address on it to track the source…" Naruto mused aloud, unknowingly sharing the thoughts of the other Nighthawks. A thought crossed his mind, and his eyes snapped open as he rose from his seat. "Holy crap! What if it's a **Seal Magic** bomb?"

"No it isn't." Kakuzu denied Naruto's claim the second it left the blonde's mouth, making the rest of the group blink before look at him with confused looks. "I have lived for about a century and have a good knowledge about seals, and if this paper's kanji is even a seal, then it is closer to be a storage seal judging by its design. Though this one is far more complicated than the ones I know, probably made by a master-level **Seal Magic** user." The old man explained as he crossed his arms.

The answer satisfied the group slightly, knowing that they weren't dealing with a bomb, but it let room for many questions to invade their mind. Who would send them such an anonymous seal? And why? And if it was indeed a storage seal as Kakuzu had assumed, what does it hold?

"All this thinking is giving me a headache…" Roxas grumbled while massaging his temple.

"Definitely agreeing with you on this one, pal…" Nero added.

 ** _Beep! Beep!_**

"What the…?" Yahiko muttered as he felt something vibrating in his pocket. He dug his hand inside and pulled out the communication seal that they were given by Portia. The piece of paper was pulsating and glowing a faint blue, indicating that someone was trying to contact them. "Hey Naruto, catch!"

Naruto caught the communication seal, channeled some of his magic in it and then spoke up. "Hello. Nighthawk's mercenary service. Who's speaking?"

" _Agent Ferrum, one of Lady Portia's officers within Phantom Lord. I have some news concerning Jose's recent plans."_ A male gruff voice stated.

Everyone narrowed their eyes at the information. They haven't received any info about Jose Porla and his secret plan ever since they accepted the assignment of capturing him, which was six days ago. And from this Ferrum guy's tone, this 'news' were bound to be serious. "Continue." Naruto said.

" _We have just done a guild meeting with Master Jose this morning and he revealed to us that he is planning on attacking Fairy Tail and cause a guild war between the two. He had finished the preparations and is planning to somehow trick Makarov Dreyar to attack our guild hall in Oak Town. He still hadn't told us how though. And one more thing, Jose is hastening the operation and as such it will start in three days instead of the week as was scheduled before. That is all for now. I'll contact you again if there was any update in the situation. Agent Ferrum, over and out."_ The communication seal glow faded before completely disappearing, indicating that the communication was halted.

"So Jose wants to attack Fairy Tail, huh? How original…" Yahiko chuckled.

"Well the rumors say that those two guilds had a strong rivalry with each other for a long time. Doesn't mean that this isn't an extreme move though…" Roxas added his two cents.

"Exactly. Why would he do such an act? If he is truly acquainted with Danzo as we were told, attacking Fairy Tail would not only risk his position as a Wizard Saint and his guild, but also his life, as I am sure someone as secretive as Danzo would not let Jose do such a meaningless crusade. Is Jose truly willing to gamble all this for a simple rivalry between him and Dreyar?" Neji pondered with a frown.

"He probably has a backup plan of some sort at the ready." Nero suggested. "I mean, he's a Wizard Saint. People don't attain this rank with muscles alone; they tend to be quite the tacticians and plan their moves carefully."

"And Jose is way more cunning than your average Wizard Saint Mage." Kakuzu asserted.

"Whether he has a backup plan or not is his problem, not ours. Our objective is getting Danzo. Jose is only a mean to an end for us. I'll contact Zetsu to spy on Phantom Lord until we get there, just in case this Ferrum guy was lying. Now go and get ready, we're leaving in fifteen minutes straight." Everyone nodded approvingly and rose from their seats, heading for their quarters to gather their gear. "That applies for you too, Seventeen!"

"Heard ya!" the black haired man replied from inside the laboratory.

Now alone in the lounge, Naruto pulled his personal communication lachrymal and channeled some of his magic in it, letting it establish the signal before speaking. "Zetsu?"

" _Hiiiii!"_ the plant-human hybrid answered cheerfully.

"Listen, can you get one of your _clones_ to spy on Phantom Lord 'till we get there. It'll take us about five days of flying and I want someone to confirm the information I get from whoever is this agent working for Portia." Initially, he wanted to get a clone of Zetsu in Phantom Lord the minute they were given the job, but he wanted to wait and see what Portia's agent was going to tell them and match it with what Zetsu says. A clever tactic Naruto used to make sure they weren't led into traps in the guise of jobs, which happened quite a few times to them in the past.

" _Okay! I'll inform you if something interesting happens. See ya!"_ Zetsu replied with his still cheerful voice, just before Naruto cut the signal and halted the call. Massaging his temple, Naruto briefly wondered how in the hell Zetsu could act so cheerfully when he was going to infiltrate a guild with a Wizard Saint and at least half a dozen S-class mages inside.

He knew that the green haired man was a master in the art of spying, there was no denying that, but to not complain or show even a slight amount of anxiousness and stay jovial all the while was either a show of utter confidence or complete disregard, perhaps even both. And Naruto was sure as hell that Zetsu was not faking his emotions, because the blonde had the mystic power to feel someone else's sentiments and accurately deduce what they are.

In Zetsu's case, there was only childish goofiness and nothing else, which made the blonde suspicious of him, and despite the white haired man proving his loyalty many a time, Naruto couldn't shake off the feeling that he is hiding something very important from him.

Shaking his head of his somewhat paranoid thoughts, Naruto walked to his office to gather his equipment and gear for their trip to Oak Town.

 ** _Line-Break_**

 **Three Days Later – Fairy Tail Guild Hall**

"This isn't fucking right!" Natsu Dragneel snapped as he slammed his head on the table, his eyes glaring angrily at Makarov Dreyar, his guild Master. "Come on, gramps. Are we seriously going to let those Phantom bastards get away with what they have done!?"

Gray nodded his head at Natsu's proposition, which was something very rare to happen. "I agree with flame brain like nothing happened. We can't just sit idly here like nothing happened when Phantom has destroyed our guild hall."

And therein lay the problem of the two young Fairy Tail mages, as well as the majority of their guild mates. The destruction of their guild hall was a discovery that the Fairy Tail mages had made yesterday, and they knew that it was Phantom Lord's work because the building was struck with numerous giant iron rods, obviously the work of the Iron Dragonslayer of Phantom Lord: Gajeel Redfox.

Luckily, there was no injured among the guild members, which they were grateful for it. But still, their pride couldn't allow them to not take revenge for their destroyed guild hall. It is common knowledge that Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord were always rivals over the title of the best guild of all Fiore, but this was simply crossing the redlines and needed an appropriate answer.

Makarov had other plans in mind though.

"I have said it once and I'll say it again until you brats get it in your heads. We will not react to Phantom Lord's provocation and start a guild war. Now, and until the upstairs is fixed, this is going to be our temporary guild hall. End of the discussion." The guild master of Fairy Tail declared calmly as he sipped his mug. Makarov was aware that Jose wanted to trick him into initiating a guild war, a trick that had worked soundly on his children, but not him. With the Council continuously berating him and threatening to disband the guild because of their 'destructive nature', the last thing he needed to initiate was a guild war.

"But master-!" Some of the mages started to protest, only to be silenced as Nab came hurrying down the stairs and shouted.

"COME OUTSIDE QUICK! WE GOT A SERIOUS PROBLEM!"

Intrigued, the Fairy Tail mages and their master rushed to stairs and quickly followed after Nab, who led them to the central park where a very unpleasant surprise was waiting for them.

Makarov's eyes widened in horror as he gazed forward, his vision tunnel fixated on a tree only a few meters away from him. Gaps and angry shouts were heard around him from Fairy tail mages and Magnolia's citizens, but he paid them no mind as his mind was busy burning the sight before him in his memory; The sight of Team Shadow Gear pinned to the large tree's trunk in somewhat crucified manner, with Phantom Lord's insignia painted in Levy's stomach with blood.

"First they attack our guild hall, and now this!? The fuck is wrong with those people!?" Cana exclaimed angrily.

"Those bastards have gone way too far." Natsu growled.

"I have changed my mind." Makarov's quiet declaration made everyone look at him as the old man stepped closer to the tree where Team Shadow Gear's members were pinned. "I can handle the destruction of our guild…but to cowardly attack my children and torture them like this…Such an act cannot be forgiven! Everybody ready yourselves, because from now on…" The Titan of Fairy Tail requiped into his Wizard Saint attire, consisting of a white tunic with the Fairy Tail symbol on the left collar and black pants, all underneath a formal white coat with white fur around the edges and with the Ten Wizard Saints' symbol on the back.

"WE ARE AT WAR!" The third guild master of Fairy Tail shouted with vehemence, his eyes burning with a desire of revenge.

The statement shocked the Fairy Tail mages, but their shock quickly turned to eagerness shouted in agreement, wanting to give Phantom Lord a good ass-kicking for what they have done.

Unbeknownst to them, and the entirety of Magnolia's citizens that were present in the area, Zetsu was watching them from his position atop a tall building. His lips curved into a gleeful smile as he saw the Fairy Tail mages rush to the town's gate, no doubt heading to Oak Town; the city where Phantom Lord was located.

"Finally! For a second I doubted that they were going to start this war at all." Zetsu spoke to himself before he pulled his communication lachryma from his vest's pocket.

" _Who's speaking?"_ A familiar voice called out.

"Naruto, Fairy Tail is moving out to attack Phantom Lord as we speak and they're probably gonna reach them in a matter of hours. How far are you guys from Oak Town?"

"… _A day and a half."_

"Too slow. You guys might wanna speed up a little."

" _Duly noted. Inform me if anything important happens. Out."_

Putting his lachryma in his pocket again, Zetsu smirked as he started sinking into the ground.

"Time for me to go."

 ** _Line-Break_**

"JOSEEEEE!" Makarov Dreyar bellowed as he marched upstairs, his body encased with a gigantic amount of **Light Magic.** The other members of Fairy Tail were brawling fiercely with the mages of Phantom Lord, both sides determined to kick their opponents' ass. Whether it was by magic, weapons or just barehanded, everyone relented not in their attacks and gave their all, resulting in a stalemate.

Finally reaching the door, Makarov blasted the piece of wood along with a large portion of the wall and found himself in the guild master's office, with Jose Porla sitting calmly on his seat with an annoying smirk on his face, acting as if his guild is not being attacked by Makarov's. Each step Makarov took with his radiant aura of **Light Magic** cracked the ground beneath him until it became almost unstable, his eyes glaring murderously at the Guild master of Phantom Lord.

Jose Porla was a tall slim man with long straight dark red hair reaching down to his shoulders and a dark red thin moustache, as well as a pair of sharp green eyes. His attire consisted of a white dress shirt and red pants, with the medallion of the Ten Wizard Saints pinned at the top button of his shirt. Over the white shirt, he donned a dark purple cloak, with a matching dark purple stereotypical wizard's hat atop his head which had the insignia of Phantom Lord emblazoned on it. Attached to his back were a pair of black bat-wings, and finally he completed his outfit with a pair of red jester shoes.

"Jose! Why have you attacked Fairy Tail?! TELL ME!" Makarov raged as he came to a halt.

"Oh hello Makarov, how lovely of you to pay a visit to my guild. It has been a long time since we acquainted with each other. I believe last time was during the Guild Masters annual meeting, six years ago. Am I right?" Jose asked, completely ignoring his Fellow Wizard Saint question.

Next thing he knew Makarov had thrown a giant fist at him, destroying the wall behind him and creating a giant dust cloud.

"I did not come here for chit chat, Jose. I came here for answers and I will get them!" the Titan of Fairy Tail declared with determination, only for a dark chuckle to meet his ears. The dust cloud cleared, revealing Jose, who did not move an inch from his former position, with Makarov's fist _through_ him. "A projection…I should have known that a coward such as you would not have the guts to face me."

"Hmhmhm…It is not cowardliness, Makarov. I am merely trying to avoid a fight between two of the Wizard Saints. I wouldn't want for my guild to end in shambles like yours. And instead of the mess that you have created with your little fairies, I prefer a more tactical approach to ensure victory. But since you came all the way here to fight me, I think that I should at least enlighten the current situation a little for you." Jose snapped his fingers and a projection of a captured young girl materialized before him, one that Makarov recognized almost instantly.

"Lucy!?" The short old man gasped. "But…But why!?"

"Why, you ask? Are you telling me that she is a member of your guild and you don't know? What a shocker. To think that miss Lucy Heartfilia here did not tell you of her heritage. She must have thought little of you, Makarov…" Jose taunted before both his projection and Lucy's disappeared.

"NO! DON'T" Makarov screamed, but a sound from behind him made him turn around, and the next thing he knew was a strong light that blinded him and a sobbing male voice.

"How…sorrowful…"

 **Meanwhile**

Down the stairs, the battle between the two rival guilds continued with both sides still on a stalemate. However, the fighting came to a screeching halt when the ceiling shattered and something fell down from it, impacting harshly with the ground. Everyone looked at the impact zone and the Fairy Tail mages widened their eyes in horror as they saw their wounded master, who appeared to be exhausted and out of breath. Also, his skin color was a sickly green color.

"MASTER!" The Fairy Tail mages shouted as they ran to their master's side. Makarov tried to tell them to run, to get away from the trap that they were led in, but he found his body too tired to even do that. He couldn't utter a word nor move a muscle. Just what the hell did that guy did to him?

"Well, well, well, it seems that we have won this round, little fairies." Jose's projection declared ominously as it suddenly appeared, accompanied by five more people that Fairy Tail knew very well. They were the Elemental Four and Phantom Lord's Iron Dragonslayer, Black Steel Gajeel.

' _This is bad. Very, very bad…'_ Erza thought as she looked around her. Now with their Master taken out, Phantom's mages' moral have increased drastically, especially since they were now accompanied with their elite, and all of them readied to lunge forward. As much as she did not like to admit it, they were now at a major disadvantage, and their chances at winning were near-nonexistent.

"EVERYBODY RETREAT NOW!" The Titania ordered.

Some wanted to argue, but in the end all of Fairy Tail's mages escaped the place hastily. They may have been defeated in this battle, but it mattered not. Their revenge on Phantom could wait. For now, they needed to heal their Master, call for reinforcement and prepare for their next move.

"Damn, and just when things started to get exciting, they run with their tails between their legs. Bunch of suckers." Gajeel Redfox scoffed.

He is a tall and muscular young man with long, slicked back, spiky black hair. He has red eyes with slitted dark pupils, and has three small, round studs acting as his 'eyebrows'. Those same studs were visible in all of his exposed body, namely his nose's sides, his chin, his ears and his forearms. His outfit consisted of a shabby black sleeveless tunic with studded edges, a studded belt around his waist, loose beige pants tucked inside studded black boots, and a pair of studded brown gloves paired with similarly studded wristbands. He also sports a distinctive wing-like ornament, seemingly made of feathers, jutting upwards, over his right shoulder, attached to his tunic by a large stud.

"Fairy Tail has been defeated by Phantom Lord…So SORROWFUL!" Aria declared before he started crying.

Aria is an extremely tall and massive man with tanned skin. He had a round green hat atop his head and his eyes were hidden behind a blindfold. His upper body is covered by a large, loose green coat sporting white edges. Underneath it, there was a similar robe, seemingly yellow in color, which almost reaches down to Aria's feet, revealing an extremely loose pair of pants with prominent hems and a pair of simple, dark shoes.

"Attention, Phantom Lord's mages! We are not done with Fairy Tail yet! This war is not over, because…We are going to activate the ROBO-GUILD MECHA!" Jose declared dramatically, earning multiple approving shouts from his guild members.

' _Guess Fairy Tail is not seeing the end of it yet…'_ thought a hidden Zetsu, his face being the only thing displayed from his position under a table. And just as secretly as he appeared, he sunk silently again into the ground, no one noticing for even a second that he was there.

He had a message to deliver.

 ** _Line-Break_**

If there was an accurate word to describe Fairy Tail's current moral, then it would be "crashed".

A whole day has passed since they had attacked Phantom Lord, where they had been met with a humiliating defeat. Their master Makarov was staying in the house of the guild's medicinal advisor, Porlyusica, as he was still unconscious from whatever was inflicted on him by the member of the Elemental Four, Aria.

Almost every member was bandaged in various parts of their body. However, the wounds that were engraved on their bodies could not be compared with their wounded pride and moral.

"Man, I can't believe we lost that badly." Macao sighed as he drunk his cup. Next to him, Wakaba nodded with a downed face.

"I know. We've been had like a bunch of idiots."

"Even so, we shouldn't have run away. That was unmanly of us!" Elfman shouted as he slammed his hands on the table.

"That's enough, Elfman. You know very well why we had to retreat." Macao berated the white haired man.

"…It's still not manly, though." Elfman said with his head low, making the two older mage facepalm in frustration.

In the corner of the room, Cana Alberona was going through her cards hastily, redoing her locator spell over and over, only to get the same result each time.

"Dammit! It's no fucking use! I just can't find Mystogan no matter how much I try..." Cana cursed out loud, throwing her cards in the air in frustration.

"I see. That's too bad…" Mirajane stated sadly.

"If their aim is to capture Lucy, then they'll be attacking again soon. We're pretty much doomed if we don't get one of our elites to the battle." Cana declared as she took a sip of her mug.

Mirajane nodded and turned to the communication lachryma "Master is gravely injured and Mystogan is not here. Please Laxus, come back. You're the only one that can help us right now."

"And I should do that, because?" Laxus asked as he crossed his arms, a smug look on his face.

"Because you're one of us, a Fairy Tail mage! Please come back, Fairy Tail is in a deep crisis." Mirajane pleaded, but her plea fell on deaf ears as all she got as a response was a bark of laughter.

"Serves the old man right. Hahahaha. Deal with it yourselves. Why should I get involved in the mess that the old geezer started?" Laxus demanded haughtily.

"One of our members, Lucy is being targeted."

"Who is that? Oh, that newbie? Fine, I'll help…as long as that girl agrees to be my woman."

"You bastard! How dare- ." Cana shouted into the lachryma crystal.

"Now, now, is that how you speak to the person who you are seeking for help?" Laxus asked with his ever-present smug attitude, which effectively silenced the brown haired girl. "Anyway, you know my demands now if you want my help. Oh, and tell the old geezer that he better hurry up and retire already, so I can take his place as master." The blonde haired man laughed at the end of his statement, and he would have continued had Mira not shattered the communication lachryma as she overloaded it with magic.

The white haired barmaid sobbed quietly as tears downed her cheeks. Just how could Laxus be so cold toward them when they were in such a dire situation?

"Mira…" Cana murmured, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder in an attempt to console her.

 **Boom!**

The walls of the basement shook violently, dust raining in abundance at the startled Fairy Tail mages.

"What the shit was that?" Gray asked as he and the entirely of the guild members looked left and right, feeling very uneasy all of a sudden. In that very moment, Alzack came rushing down the stairs, panting and sweating. The **Gun Magic** user took a moment to gather his bearing before yelling at the top of his lungs.

"OUTSIDE!"

Reacting quickly, everyone leapt to their feet and rushed out of the basement, wanting to find out what had created such an earthquake. However, just as they set foot on the grassy field of the exterior, they were shocked stiff, beholding the sight of a gigantic moving building with multiple spider-like appendages coming into their direction.

"T-the fuck is that?" Natsu sputtered with wide eyes.

"Phantom…" Gray said gravely as he and many other members came to the same dreading conclusion.

"This is impossible…How could they have prepared such a monstrosity in such a short time!?" Erza wondered aloud, unconsciously tightening her hold against the towel that was wrapped around her body.

 ** _"Fairy Tail!"_** The loud and clear voice of Jose boomed in the area. **_"It is time for our guild's to settle the rivalry they had for so long. There is no space for two 'number-one guild in all of Fiore', and we have come here to settle the score once and for all, and claim what is ours. Now tremble and cower before the might of the great JUPITER CANNON!"_**

"The Jupiter Canon!?" Wakaba exclaimed in shock.

"I thought that thing was banned by the Magic Council years ago!" Macao declared.

"What in the hell is the Jupiter Cannon?" a random mage asked.

"It's a massive cannon powered by four elemental lachyrma; wind, fire, water, earth. Those lachryma channels energy into a giant converter which is then amassed until it reaches its climax and fires a mighty beam of Magic energy. Only someone as strong as the Master or near his level could block it or defect it. Due to its destructive power, the Magic Council has banned all use of it, but it seems that somehow Jose got himself one."

"And they're gonna fire that at us!?" The same random mage yelled, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

"Guess so…" Gray confirmed with gritted teeth. The Fairy Tail Mage's watched hopelessly as the middle wall of the guild began to part, leaving enough space for a gigantic cannon to extend out. A giant sphere of began to form at the end of it.

' _We're so screwed…'_

* * *

 **Phantom Lord Robo-Guild Mecha – Control Room**

"Well I'll be damned. You really went all out with this thing, Master." Gajeel chuckled.

"Non Non Non. Master Jose never holds back when it comes to Fairy Tail!" Sol declared with a grin. Sol is a slim man of average height with a tiny, pointy mustache and green hair pointing upwards. His right eye was hidden by a monocle, attached to a slim chain. He is clad in a formal attire; consisting of a brown suit over a white shirt paired with a red tie, and simple shoes. He also dons what appears to be a short cape attached to both of his elbows, linking them.

"Juvia thinks this is overkill. Juvia and the guild have already won the battle; we have proved our superiority over Fairy Tail already when we defeated them at Oak Town. Master Jose, why must Juvia and the guild continue to fight?" Juvia asked. She is a slender, teenage girl with azure blue hair, midnight blue eyes, snow skin complexion and a curvaceous figure. Her outfit is composed of a sapphire blue coat, a cream colored furry trimmed navy blue shawl with a pure white _teru teru bōzu_ attached to it, as well as a matching Russian Cossack hat.

"Because, my dear Juvia-chan, I do not want to _defeat_ Fairy Tail, I want to see them crushed beneath my heels like the cockroaches they are." Jose snarled at the Water mage. "You are not questioning my judgment by any chance, are you? If so, dire consequences shall fall upon you..."

"N-no, master…" Juvia said as she gazed down, unnerved by the disturbingly evil aura emanating from the Wizard Saint. Unnoticed by all, Gajeel's eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Now, now, Jose. That is no way to treat a lady…" A voice spoke from behind the group, and they all turned around to see a magic seal forming in the ground, before a bright light emerged and died down quickly, revealing a man standing there, one that Jose recognized immediately.

"YOU!? What are you doing here?" The Guild Master demanded with a furious look.

"Well, if you really want to know, I was sent here in case you screw up this little 'war' thing and got captured…My boss' orders." The figure spoke as he approached the Phantom Lord mages. He was wearing a long dark cloak with a hood that hid his face, and on his back was what appeared to be a giant sword wrapped in bandages.

This attire fulfilled its job in hiding the man's identity…well for the S-class mages of Phantom Lord at least as Jose managed to recognize him regardless. However, there was one thing that was wide open to the member of the Elemental Four and the Iron Dragonslayer.

The man's magic signature.

It was RIDICULOUSLY high, even for their standards. Hell, the man's power was even bigger than their own master, and he was a member of Ten Wizard Saints, the strongest mages of all Fiore.

Jose narrowed his eyes at the man and growled. "Are you telling me that 'your boss' doubts my abilities to win against a guild that currently does not have even half the power mine possess? Is that it?"

"Yep, that is exactly what he is thinking!" The man declared with a laugh, enjoying the maddened state of the Wizard Saint.

Jose's ears fumed as he glared heatedly at the masked man, unknowingly forcing the other mages in the room to take a few steps back. He always hated the man from the moment he had been introduced to him as he always found a chance to humiliate him, but he knew that should he even _attempt_ an attack against him, he would be considered a traitor in Danzo's book and will be hunted down and captured, then be 'disciplined' for his act. And Jose did not want to sustain that. Period.

"…Fine, I'll show you how capable of this task I am." Jose snarled again before turning around to the staff in charge of the Jupiter Canon. "FIRE!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

 **Back with Fairy Tail**

A loud boom was heard as the Jupiter Cannon fired an enormous dark energy beam at the startled members of Fairy Tail.

"What the hell are we gonna do now?" A random mage asked.

His answer came in the form of the running Erza Scarlet, who had rushed past her comrades and yelled **"Requip: Adamantine Armor!"**

A bright light encased the young redhead female before disappearing, revealing her in a bulky blue and white armor with two halve shields.

"Erza!" Mira cried.

"She isn't planning on taking a blast from the Jupiter Cannon head on, is she?" Gray wondered, though the answer was very clear for him.

"Even with her armor's insane defensive strength, she won't survive that blast…" Wakaba exclaimed.

Ignoring the desperate cries of her teammates, Erza slammed her two shields together as the blast neared them. "Take cover!" She shouted, before refocusing her sight in the incoming blast of magic. _'For my friends…For Fairy Tail…'_ She thought, readying herself for the impact.

"You guys need to chillax…" A calm voice stated as a figure appeared meters away in front of Erza, not that she could see it because of her shield. The Fairy Tail mages however saw him, and they were about to shout at him to get away from there before he did something they were not expecting.

" **Mass Energy Field!"**

* * *

 **AND DONE!**

 **I actually wanted to write more because I'll probably not update anymore, though if the chance presented itself I would, but then I said let's just call it quit right here. You may complain about it, cliffhanger and what not, but I guess you could consider it as my parting gift for you guys.  
**

 **Anyway, what do you guys think of this chapter? Like it? Leave a review. Hate it? Leave a review. Don't have an opinion? Leave a review…or don't…whatever suits you.**

 **Btw, you guys feel free to PM me about anything you'll like me to add in this story. Whether it's enemies, missions, monsters or anything else, just PM, or even leave a review, and I'll consider adding it to this Fanfic.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't know if you guys saw it or not, but I actually have created a poll on my profile page so you can decide for me one of the most tough decisions I have currently in my mind; Who, between those two popular antagonists, should join the Nighthawks group: Itachi Uchiha, or Obito Uchiha (before he acquired the Rinnegan in the anime).**

 **Note: Backstory and abilities will be** _ **somewhat similar**_ **to what they had in cannon, but NOT the same.**

 **This is all for this chapter, fellas. Until next chapter.**

 **Neo Madara Uchiha, out! SEE YA LATER!**


	5. Chapter 5: Crashing a Party, Part 2

**Hello there, Neo Madara Uchiha is in the house! YEEHAH!**

 **And…well I don't have anything to say, right now.**

 **So, without further delay…**

 **LET'S GET ON WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER OF THE NIGHTHAWKS! YEEHAH!**

"Oops…" – Talks

 _'Ooopsy…'_ – Thoughts

 **"Blast!"** – Techniques

 **Nighthawks**

 **Chapter 5: Crashing a Party, Part 2**

Shock and awe.

Those were the main feelings that the Fairy Tail mage were experiencing right now.

Just a few seconds ago, they were going to be destroyed by the huge blast of energy that the Jupiter Cannon had fired at them. Erza however had acted quickly and requiped into her **Adamantine Armor** ,intending to block the incoming danger with her strongest defensive armor.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned for the Titania.

She was now watching with wide eyes, much like the rest of her guild, as an unknown man that had appeared before them out of the blue summoned a humongous bluish-green shield-like barrier and blocked the Jupiter Cannon's blast with it. A powerful shockwave was created upon the collision, knocking some of Fairy Tail's mage back while others barely held their ground. However, the fact that was shocking for all the Fairy Tail mages is that the barrier summoned by the unknown man seemed to _absorb_ the magical blast of the Jupiter Cannon, making the fearsome blast shrink gradually with each passing second.

After what felt like an eternity for everyone, but in truth was only a minute, the giant magical blast had completely disappeared, as if it was never there in the first place. Upon seeing that, the man withdrew his barrier and started dusting his clothes casually. "Weird…That was much easier than what I thought…probably just a prototype and not the real thing…" the man uttered as he continued wiping imaginary dust from his clothes.

The Fairy Tail mages looked at the man with odd glances, still in daze from what just happened.

"What in the heck just happened…?" an anonymous Fairy Tail mage that had been knocked back asked as he began to stand, voicing the thought that his guild mates shared.

"I saved your asses. That's what happened." The newcomer declared as he turned around to face the Fairy Tail mages.

Natsu snapped out of his dazed state and narrowed his eyes at the man. "Hey! Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

The unknown man chuckled lightly. "In case you didn't know it, people in your position tends to say 'thank you' after what I did, pinkie." His comment made Natsu growl angrily, but the pink haired Dragonslayer did not attempt anything as he was given a harsh glare from Erza. "But since you asked, name's Seventeen, and it's not really your business what I am doing here."

"Your name...is a number?" Mira asked as she titled her head to the side.

Seventeen's eyes twitched as he looked at the white haired girl with annoyance "And that's what you got from my entire speech?"

" _ **You! The one who dared to block the Jupiter Cannon's blast! Identify yourself this instant!"**_ The furious voice of Jose Porla resonated from the walking guild. A second later, Jose spoke again. _**"On second thoughts, do not! I could care less about anyone who would help those insignificant Fairy Tail members. And you, little fairies, don't fool yourself with a hope of survival! You may have survived by sheer luck, but within the next ten minutes, you will experience the true terror of the Jupiter Cannon as I fire it at its maximum power."**_

"Ten minutes? Ha! That's more than enough time for us to destroy that monstrosity!" Gray boasted with a confident grin.

"Too bad that you won't..." Seventeen declared as he glanced at the Ice mage. "Because you fellas are staying right here and won't move an inch."

"What!?" The Fairy Tail mages shouted at the black haired man. First he steps in from god knows where and helps them, which was an appreciated act from him, and now he tells them to stay put? What the hell?

 **BOOM!**

An explosion snapped everybody from their current line of thoughts as they shifted their gazes to the source of the blast they heard, and much to the fairies' surprise, it was coming from the Jupiter Cannon. From the distance they were, the only things the Fairy Tail members could see was the destroyed cannon as it fell to the ocean below, and a big hole where the cannon once was positioned.

"Wait a second, what is that?" Cana asked aloud as she squinted her eyes, trying to get a clearer image in her mind.

The Fairy Tail mages followed her lead and focused their vision tunnel in the direction Cana was seeing. They noticed multiple things landing on the hole that was created upon the destruction of the Jupiter Cannon and they appeared to be…

"Are those…birds?"

* * *

 **Phantom Lord Robo-Guild Mecha – Control Room**

Currently, Jose Porla was a VERY angry man.

His plan to defeat Fairy Tail and reinstall his guild as the 'best in all of Fiore' was fairly simple: He would first damage the fairies guild and harm some members, which would piss off Makarov enough to charge blindly in his guild. Then he would have Aria drain the Titan of Fairy Tail from his magic reserves and leave him frail and weak. And with Fairy Tail's guild master out of the picture, most of their S-class unavailable, as well as the Jupiter Cannon and Abyss Break at his disposition, Jose's victory over Fairy Tail was practically guaranteed.

Still, the Guild Master of Phantom Lord forgot one little fact in this kind of plans; they tend to go south.

What angered him was that, just when victory was within reach, some no-named person appeared out of nowhere and blocked the Jupiter Cannon's magic blast, and later said cannon was destroyed by an unknown source. He had already sent the Elemental Four and Gajeel to investigate, just in case it was those insignificant little fairies' doing, but something in his gut told him that they were not responsible.

It was in times like this that he cursed his lack of sensory abilities…

"I see that you've got this situation _under control…_ " The unknown man laughed mockingly, infuriating the Guild Master of Phantom Lord even more as veins bulged in his forehead. In all honesty, if there was one thing that infuriated Jose more than his failed attempt at killing Fairy Tail, it would be this man and his continuous jeering. However, before Jose could retort with something, a magical seal appeared near the two, with a rough male voice calling out from it.

"Hey, fish-face! We have a situation here..." The light from the Magic seal died down to reveal a slender and tall man with his arms crossed over his chest. He had short spiky black hair, no eyebrows above his dark eyes, and a cross shaped scar was on his right cheek, as well as a red grid-shaped marking covering his jaw. He wore a black tight-fitting sleeveless shirt with two light thin stripes on his chest, a striped cloth belt and light pants along with black arm covers extending from his hands to his biceps. He also wore bandages around his neck and face which also covered his ears. An insignia of the Venom organization was stamped on the middle of his chest.

A large broadsword as tall as himself was strapped on his back, shaped like a butcher knife. The blade itself has two cut outs, a circle close to the top and a semi-circular one nearer to the handle, with an extremely long handle that seems detachable.

"And just exactly WHO are YOU?" Jose asked angrily. Can't he just destroy Fairy Tail peacefully without any outside interference?

"I'm not talking to you, cross dresser. I am talking to him…" the newcomer declared, her index pointing at the black clad man.

Said man was currently smirking, though his expression was concealed beneath his dark hood. "So you decided to join in after all, Juzo…" the unknown declared amusedly.

"From the amused tone of your voice, I guess you're already aware of what, or rather _who._ I am talking about." Juzo replied.

"Of course I do. It is little old _Fox_ and his band of misfits, and this time they seem to have expanded their numbers…" The man chuckled as he cast his robe away via **Requip** , exposing his…unusual self.

The first unusual thing about him was his distinctive shark-like appearance, consisting of his small round white eyes, a set of curved facial markings under his eyes, the gills on his shoulders, his sharp triangular teeth, his shark fin styled hair and finally his pale green skin. His attire consisted of a black sleeveless shirt with matching pants, and striped arm and leg-warmers as well as a pair of open toed boots. He too had an insignia of the Venom organization, though his was stamped under the right shoulder.

"About time you take off that robe. It made you look like some retarded priest."

"So mean…"

"What are you two babbling about? Tell me! I have the right to know!" Jose demanded.

"You have the right to take that Wizard Saint medallion and shove it deep in your ass since you don't deserve it, Jose-chan. Now how about you sit here like a good little boy while me and Juzo make sure that you don't screw up more than you already did with this stupid war of yours, okay?" The shark-man did not wait for an answer and immediately disappeared with Juzo via **Teleportation Magic** , leaving a fuming Jose to himself.

 _ **Line-Break**_

The mages of Phantom Lord were currently in a very bad position.

A few minutes ago, they had arrived at the site of the destroyed Jupiter Cannon site, intending to eliminate the responsible of its demolition. They were expecting the culpable to be Fairy Tail mages, which was logical since they were waging war against said guild, but to their shock they found instead three individuals of who they managed to recognize two; Nero the Unholy and Gaara of the Desert, S-class members of the Nighthawks mercenaries. And even though they didn't know the third person, it was safe to assume that he was as strong, if not stronger than the two wanted mages.

Of course, they didn't know that the rest of the group is already on its way to Jose, with Deidara and Neji being the sole exception since they stayed on an explosive bird to help Seventeen should Makarov Dreyar or any other strong Fairy Tail mage show up out of the blue. Though admittedly, such a fact would hardly be helpful in their current situation, because all of this was not their _main_ problem. After all, in a five against three battle, the Phantoms held the number advantages.

No, their real problem was that their advantage had been compromised because two of their members _switched sides_ , if you get what I mean.

"Gajeel, Juvia, what do you think you're doing?" Totamaru hissed with narrowed eyes, his hands already on his blade. In front of him, a smug Gajeel and a stoic Juvia were standing next to the three mercenaries.

' _So those two are Portia's henchmen in this place, huh? They don't seem like much…'_ Kakuzu thought briefly as he glanced at Juvia and Gajeel.

"Isn't it obvious? We're allying ourselves with these guys." Gajeel declared with a smirk, one that made Totamaru and Monsieur Sol frown darkly.

"So you two are betraying Phantom Lord? Is that it?" the white and black haired fire mage growled.

"No shit Sherlock. What was your first clue?" Nero declared sarcastically, but it was ignored by the Phantom Lord mages.

"Non Non Non! This is terrible! Though I could see that coming from you Gajeel, but you too, Juvia? Why would you betray Phantom Lord all of a sudden?" Monsieur Sol asked, genuinely curious about the female mage's reasons. Not that it will change anything, but he wanted to know nevertheless.

"Juvia and Gajeel-san did never betray Phantom Lord, because both Juvia and Gajeel were never loyal to Phantom Lord in the first place. In fact, Juvia pity anyone who is _loyal_ to the pathetic excuse of a Guild Master Jose Porla is." The Water mage stated coolly, further angering the Phantom trio. Actually, only Totamaru and Sol, to a lesser extent, appeared to be angered.

Aria on the other hand…

"This…is…SO SORROWFUL! You two betraying Phantom Lord is just so sorrowful!" The giant man declared dramatically, two twin rivers of tears leaking from his blindfold.

"I've had it with this shitty drama…" Kakuzu murmured, his eyes narrowed in anger. Swiftly, he blurred the small distance between him and Aria, and then he gave the Wind Mage a strong uppercut to the chin, sending him flying upward and through the ceiling before jumping after him.

All of this happened in one second, leaving the rest of the mages in silence as they stared at the scene that had just occurred.

"Well…that escalated pretty quickly." Nero exclaimed humorlessly, before pulling his sword Red Queen. "But I guess that this is the best case scenario you could get from a century-old angry old man."

"I'm actually surprised that he didn't kill him right off the bath." Gajeel commented before cracking his neck.

Gaara and Juvia didn't show any reaction and stayed stoic.

"STOP MOCKING US YOU BASTARDS! **RAINBOW FIRE!** " Totamaru roared in anger and send a big multicolored flame ball to the four enemies, only for it to be fully blocked by a wall of red sand.

"What!?" Totamaru spoke out, flabbergasted. And his surprise only increased as the red sand rampart sprouted two long appendages that headed straight for him and Sol at an insane speed. At the last second, he managed to jump out of the way, an opportunity that Sol missed and paid the price with his life as the sand appendage pierced his chest.

Totamaru was then suddenly kicked in the face by Nero, who appeared before him in a blur of speed. The strength behind the kick sent the fire mage skidding a few feet back before he finally managed to adjust himself.

"Anybody told you that you are an annoying little bitch?" Nero asked drily as he twirled Red Queen before lunging at Totamaru with it. Totamaru managed to block with his own katana, but the raw power behind Nero's next strikes made it hard for the fire mage to keep up. The small crack sounds Totamaru's katana made after each clash only confirmed this fact.

Seeing an opportunity, Totamaru dodged a couple of slashes from Red Queen and kicked Nero in the stomach. After that, the black and white haired mage threw his katana in the air and continued with a combo of elbow strikes before finishing with a strong uppercut that send Nero in the air. Blurring from his position, Totamaru teleported right above the white haired mercenary, just in time to grasp his twirling katana and slash a mighty downward arc. "Not so cocky now, are you?" Totamaru taunted in mid-swing, a confident smirk plastered over his face.

That is, until Nero caught the katana with his demonic hand.

"Take a wild guess!" the white haired man countered as he flipped Totamaru over him before kicking him to ground.

Falling down, Totamaru tried to adjust himself so that he wouldn't hit the floor head first and, to his relief, he managed to do it just in time…

" **Tetsuryūkon (Iron Dragon's Club)!"**

…Only to be struck in the gut by a metallic club.

"Aargh!" A groan of pain escaped Totamaru's lips as he was sent straight to the nearer wall, hitting it with enough force to create a spider web.

"You know, with four of us and only him to face us, I expected that to be a finishing blow…" Nero declared as he landed on the ground, his gaze fixated on the person next to him, who was none other than Gajeel Redfox.

"My bad, I was aiming for the heart…" Gajeel replied with a toothy grin.

"I do not think that it matters anymore, seeing as we could defeat him without even moving from our positions…" Gaara added his two cent as he walked to the duo.

"Juvia thinks so too." The blue haired Water mage agreed, twirling her umbrella occasionally.

"Yeah, I mean that was hardly the battle I was anticipating. I mean these guys were defeated with one fucking hit each? How the hell did they even get their S-rank titles?" Nero asked, a bored look plastered over his face. He'll need to have a talk with Naruto about their future foes after this mission, if you can even call it that anymore.

"Well, they have passed Jose's S-class trial like me, Juvia and Aria, though they barely passed. Also, much of their entire strength resides in a single trump card, and without it they become your average fire mage. For Totamaru, it's his Pyrokinesis, something he can use only when fighting Fire mages, and since no one of us here is a fire mage, well, put two and two together." Gajeel explained.

"Actually, the only truly challenging mage among the Elemental Four besides Juvia and Gajeel-san is Aria, the leader of the Elemental Four."

"You mean the one that stitch bag sent skewering through the ceiling?" the white haired mercenary asked.

"The very same."

" **Red Fire!"**

The sudden yell of Totamaru alarmed the four mages, all of them turning on their heels to come face to face with a giant bright fireball heading their way, melting with its heat everything in its path…

" **Water Jigsaw!"**

…Only to be stopped by a swirling mass of water beams that Juvia summoned before her, both spells negating each other.

"It seems he isn't out of the equation yet." Gaara mused, red sand swirling slowly around him.

"Barely, that is." Gajeel added as the Totamaru's form came into view.

Aside from the blood leaking from his mouth, the fire mage sported no real injury; after all, he sustained only one hit. But it was at this point that Totamaru knew...

…He was officially screwed.

* * *

" **Kūiki: Shinkūgyoku (Airspace: Vacuum Sphere)!"**

Multiple cylindrical small blasts of wind emerged from a magic seal in front of Aria, spread in such a manner that they are dispersed over an expansive range and are seemingly impossible to dodge. Sailing through the air, they all headed straight for a still standing Kakuzu, hitting him all at once.

But did not wound him whatsoever upon impact.

"Shitty air blasts like these are not going to be of help against me, brat." Kakuzu stated calmly, cracking his neck.

"Sorrowful, your strength is just so sorrowful!" Aria wailed, tears leaking from his bandaged eyes, before he suddenly disappeared.

Sensing a shift in air behind him, Kakuzu was quick to block the direct punch Aria threw at him. But to the old man's surprise, Aria's body turned into shapeless mist. _'Teleportation…'_ Kakuzu quickly deduced, and using his sensory prowess, it was easy for him to detect where Aria would appear. He then detached his fire masked creature from his back and sent it soar, mouth wide open.

" **Hi no Maho: Zukkoku (Fire Magic: Searing Migraine)!"**

The first thing that greeted Aria as he reformed from his mist form was a hot firestorm coming his way at alarming speed. Although initially shocked that Kakuzu could know his position even when using his signature spell, Aria quickly recovered and created a giant wall of air before him.

This decision made Kakuzu raise an eyebrow in confusion. _'Is he stupid or something? He couldn't possibly believe that a weak shield made of wind magic like that will stand a chance against my_ _ **Zukkoku**_ _, could he?'_ the former bounty hunter thought skeptically.

However, as the burning inferno Kakuzu's unleashed approached the Leader of the Elemental Four, and much to the old man's surprise, it did not swallow the wind shield and grew bigger as it is supposed to happen. Rather, upon impact, the once intimidating fire spell that Kakuzu launched had _shrinked_ to the size of a finger.

"What!?" Kakuzu couldn't help but exclaim, and he would have said more, had it not been for Aria's sudden appearance before him. Aria first aimed for a straight punch to Kakuzu's face, but the old man simply dodged and crashed his elbow on the wind mage's stomach. Aria grunted in pain, but it soon turned into a cry as Kakuzu kneed him into the chin and jump kicked him in the face several times before finally sending him flying away with a strong double kick.

The fire masked creature, still detached from its master, sprang into action and fired multiple fire blasts at Aria, but again, the green clad man negated them with a wave of his wind magic, and sent three others soaring in Kakuzu's direction. Hardening his skin with his signature spell, Kakuzu strode right through the wind waves as if they were nothing, all the while thinking of Aria's wind magic functioning. _'It seems that using fire is useless, despite his element being wind. I don't know how he does it, but let's see if it can repeat the same trick with other elements…'_

Upon reaching Aria, Kakuzu all but charged knee-first at the gigantic green clad mage, only for said mage to fade into mist. Grunting in annoyance, Kakuzu quickly released his lightning masked creature from his back and sent him firing bolt of lightning at the specific direction where Aria was going to appear, but this time the wind mage was not surprised.

" **Kūiki: Mukō (Airspace: Void)!"** Extending his right hand with the open, Aria prompted a series of airspaces to be fired. Eventually, they clashed with the lightning bolts for brief seconds before they, again, negated each other. However, and before Aria could predict it, an arm burst from the ground and seized his neck in a vice-grip, elevating him several feet above the ground. Aria tried to break free, but his attempts were futile as the hand that captured him was as hard as iron.

"As I expected, your moves are fairly predictable." Kakuzu stated as he neared the wind mage.

"H-how…?" Aria asked hoarsely, finding the mere act of speaking a word taxing on his voice.

"When you live as long as I did, and spend half of it fighting, you tend to get really good at it. And by good, I mean resourceful. You may have a strong wind magic, sure, but when facing someone like me, the battle doesn't become a clash of strength, but rather a clash of who is more versatile you use said strength. And you have failed miserably at that." The green eyed man explained, looking with an indifferent face as his detached arm held Aria in the air.

"Suffice to say, it is game over for you, brat." Kakuzu declared, hardening his left arm and thrusting forward, aiming at Aria's heart.

However, before the old man could deal the finishing blow , a strong blast of wind emanated from Aria's body and stopped Kakuzu from ending his life. So strong it was in fact, it completely blasted Kakuzu and his detached arm a few feet away.

Snapping his head back to Aria's direction and letting his detached arm reconnect with his stitched body, Kakuzu raised an eyebrow at the wind mage before him. First, the white blindfold the man had somehow left his eyes, revealing their odd magenta-coloured "X" design. And second, he seemed to be more in control of his element now, judging from the way the wind currents spiraled around his body and the clear increase in his magic power.

"YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME! I AM ARIA OF THE HEAVENS, MASTER OF THE WIND!" Following his statement, Aria launched several strong wind waves that sent Kakuzu flying back, despite the latter having already hardened his skin once again. Seizing an opportunity, Kakuzu dug his foot on the ground and stopped himself from being carried away with the raging wind currents.

"Behold my airspace of death! **Zero!** " Aria stated from afar and, almost instantly, the entire place was clouded in a smoky whirlwind that made it almost impossible to see anything. Kakuzu was alarmed when he also couldn't sense Aria's magic power suddenly. Hell, he couldn't even smell!

' _Seems he still had a trick up his sleeve…'_ the old mage mused, trying to call the fire and lightning masks back into his body, but even that became impossible as he couldn't sense them either. _'He couldn't have destroyed them yet. I need to find him first…'_

Nodding mentally to himself, Kakuzu relaxed his stance a little and concentrated his sensory abilities in an attempt to localize the wind mage, but it was all but fruitless. It was as if this mist had taken all of his senses and tossed them out in the garbage.

Or rather it had taken _most_ of his senses, since he definitely didn't lose his sense of touch. A clear testimony to that being the pain he felt when two blasts of wind suddenly smacked him in the face.

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh…" Kakuzu mumbled angrily.

"Welcome to my arena, mercenary." Aria's voice resounded from seemingly everywhere. "Here, I rule as the god of wind. Everything is under my full control, even you. The only way to exit this place is to kill me, but, trust me; you won't be able to do it." Laughter could be heard in the background as more and more wind blasts started to smash Kakuzu around, and even though this time Kakuzu was prepared and had hardened his skin once again, he was getting seriously annoyed.

' _God of wind my ass. This fat idiot is way too full of himself…'_ Still taking hit after hit, Kakuzu sent forth both of his hands and the tendrils associated with them, trying to catch Aria and bring him out of his hiding place, but again, luck was not in his side.

"Nice try, but that won't work." Aria's annoying voice mocked, angering his green eyed opponent. If there was one think that Kakuzu hated in a battle, it would be his adversary mocking him with a cheap trick such as this one.

Still trapped inside Aria's **Zero** spell and grunting lightly as his earth skin began to crack from the continuous airblasts, Kakuzu's mind was working on connecting the dots of this technique's mechanism. _'Up to now, all what he has been doing is blasting me with wind, but that can't be all of what this spell is capable of. He must be stalling for something else. And this smoke, it blocks most of my senses, similar to how advanced_ _ **Illusion Magic**_ _spells works. But could this really be an illusion? I already tried to dispel it but it didn't work.'_ The old mage thought, his level of patience decreasing rapidly with each additional blow he took. It was then that an idea struck him. _'Hmhm, not suicidal, and he will definitely fall for it. Perfect.'_

Not wasting anytime, Kakuzu dispelled his earth armor even as multitude of wind blast hit him left and right. However, he didn't dispel the armor over his right arm, and with a swift move…

…He dug it right into his heart.

"Aargh!" Kakuzu cried in pain, his body knocked to the ground with the repetitive airblasts that did not relent in their assault. However, seeing that the man is down, Aria, still hidden because of the smoke, decided to stop his wind blasts and waited, unsure if what happened before him, well, _truly_ happened.

The more he waited, the more it was clear for him that the old man was truly _dead_. Hell, even those creatures that he had liberated from his body at the beginning had ceased moving.

"This…is…so…SORROWFUL!" Aria couldn't help but wail, though this time it seemed more like he was laughing with tears leaking from his eyes. He dispelled the smoke around them, finding no use to it now that his opponent is dead. He had originally planned to use it in order to stall time so that he can use his special **Spell of the Mandala** , but oh well; a dead foe is a much better option than a crippled one if he had a choice.

"Truly sorrowful. Dead without even seeing my triumph. Fear overcame him, and he gave his life for it. So sorrowful!" Aria stated dramatically, briefly glancing around and seeing that both the lightning and fire masks lay still on the ground, probably incapable of moving without their master controlling them.

Aria then stood right above the now dead Kakuzu, his palm thrust at him with an incredible amount of magic build up.

"Who is the resourceful one now, _old man_?" Aria asked smugly, a condensed wind bullet forming in his hand.

Aria didn't expect an answe…

But he still got one.

"Not you, _brat_."

 **Splash!**

Time itself seemed to have stopped as crimson liquid hovered in the air, leaving its host in a journey toward the ground, where it splashed all over it in a luscious manner.

Aria, eyes and mouth wide open, could feel the pain coursing his body. Blood leaked from his mouth slowly, but he cared not for that. He was too shocked to even move his eyes and, a second later…

 **Splash!**

…He fell to the ground with a loud thud, his heart torn from its place because of a certain stitched hand.

Aria, leader of the Elemental Four and wielder of the Airspace, has died.

And the responsible of his death rose from the ground, his two masked creatures sprinting over him and merging with him once again.

"Hm, shitty brat…" Kakuzu grunted as he glared at the dead body before starting the process of fusing Aria's heart with his own. _'He's lucky I've only lost my wind mask in this, or else he wouldn't have died this quickly.'_ The old man thought, moving on to the next area of enemies.

 _ **Line-Break**_

"This place is oddly…quiet…" Yahiko remarked as he, Naruto and Roxas marched through a long empty hall inside the Phantom Lord Guild Hall.

"Yeah, _very_ quiet..." Roxas added, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Now that he thought about it, it was actually very strange that it has been a couple of minutes from their entry to the moving guild and yet, there was not a single person that stood in their way, not even goons.

"Well it's not really surprising if you ask me. Jose Porla is a Wizard Saint known for his use of **Shade Magic** , a magic that allows him to summon infinite numbers of ghostly creatures to fight for him." Naruto explained.

"My, it seems someone had done his homework before coming here…" A voice called out suddenly in the room, halting the trio's march immediately who quickly got into their fighting stances.

"Oh, no need to get jumpy and all, we're right here." A magic seal appeared before the mercenaries, and from it appeared two figures. One was Juzo, and the other was someone that the blondes of the trio were _very_ familiar with.

"Oh fucking great. It is fish-face again…" Roxas declared drily, a scowl displayed on his face.

"You know these two?" Yahiko asked, not recognizing the individuals before him. Though he knew that they were enemies; the Venom's insignia was clearly visible on both of them.

"Only the shark guy, and he's generally bad news whenever he pops up…" Naruto stated, his hands already coated in his golden fire.

"That is no way to introduce someone to your friends, Fox." Naruto's eyes only narrowed in response. "So cold…I guess that I will speak for myself then. My name is Kisame Hoshigake, and my partner here is Juzo Biwa. Pleased to meet you." Kisame introduced both himself and Juzo to the now less confused Yahiko.

"Aka known as Shark Demon and Bloody Water, respectively. Am I correct?" the orange haired man demanded, recognizing their names from the list of wanted mage that he had inspected back in their base.

"Hm, guess they all did their homework before coming, huh Kisame?" Juzo chuckled lightly, his hands going for the handle of the broadsword strapped at his back.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway, Kisame?" Naruto asked, intrigued.

"Oh you know, our boss kind of anticipated that you will come after Jose, so he sent us here to stop you. Routine stuff." Kisame shrugged, before he gripped his bandaged sword and pointed it forward. "Besides, I believe we have a little score to settle between the two of us."

"Then you wouldn't mind settling it with me instead." Yahiko said as he stepped up, summoning a weapon in his hand via requip. Said weapon looked like a strange mix between a trident and a ji with a crystalline appearance. Like the ji, it bore a horsehair tassel, although it was blue instead of the traditional red. Also, the two side blades were straight with concave edges as opposed to the usual crescent blade. The end of the weapon was like a driller.

"And why would I do that?" Kisame asked, his eyebrow elevated in curiosity.

"Well, maybe because he isn't here anymore…" Yahiko smirked and clicked his fingers, resulting in the shattering of their surrounding and, much to Kisame's and Juzo's surprise, Naruto was nowhere in sight. In addition to that, there was a hole in the ceiling surrounded by fresh burn marks.

"What the hell!?" Kisame and Juzo exclaimed.

" **Strike Raid!"**

The two mages quickly regained themselves when a spinning sword hurled at them, with Juzo moving forward to block it. However, he didn't expect Roxas to suddenly appear behind the sword upon the impact, and thus was unprepared for the kick that was planted in the side of his face, sending him a few feet back.

However, Juzo was not done yet, seeing as he had rotated his body in a three-hundred-sixty degree fashion, his sword spinning rapidly with him and toward Roxas' direction. Counterattacking, Roxas summoned another sword and brought them before him in an "X" guard, all the while sprinting toward Juzo. The three blades met each other in a clash of dominance, sparks of fire flying around to showcase its intensity.

But in the end, both sides turned out to be equal in power, prompting the two swordsmen to jump away from each other. _'No way! How could he block an attack from my Executioner Blade in a front assault?'_ The man thought to himself. It was only then that he got a good look at Roxas' swords.

The one in his right hand has a black handle and a rectangular violet guard that becomes pale yellow toward its bottom with thin black edges. The guard has two small, rectangular spikes on each of its upper corners. The bottom of the guard is completely white, and does not have black edges. The shaft of the sword is wide, silver, and has concave black edges. The tip of the weapon is flat and the teeth are comprised by three short, flat-tipped spikes on one side of the blade. There is a black diamond at the base of the blade and a thin vertical line of the same color lines it entirely. (Keyblade: Lunar eclipse…)

The other one looked almost the same as the first blade, though with a different coloring. Its handle was and the guard black guard with thin orange edges. The bottom of the guard is now completely black instead of white. The shaft of the blade is black and has concave silver edges. The diamond at the base of the blade is orange diamond at the base of the blade, and a thin, vertical line of the same color lines the entirety of it. (Keyblade: Total Eclipse…)

' _I see, so this is the legendary Keyblades I have heard so much about. Though I have thought they would be more…stunning than this.'_ Juzo thought as he took in the detail of Roxas' swords.

"Nice swords you got there, Blondie." Juzo complimented.

"Thanks, but flattery won't get either of us anywhere." Roxas countered, making Juzo chuckle.

"Right." The swordsman admitted before he blitzed out of sight, with Roxas following suit quickly after him.

" **Scattershot!"**

Roxas pointed both of his Keyblades forward, sending multiple beams of light at Juzo, who avoided each and every one of them before leaping at Roxas and swinging his oversized sword down with an incredible speed. Roxas quickly dodged to the side and, seizing the opportunity, he thrust forward with Lunar Eclipse, only for Juzo to block it with the flat side of his Executioner blade. Growling lowly, Roxas flipped over Juzo and attempted to strike him from the side, but again, Juzo managed to block in the last second.

Landing on the ground, Roxas ducked under another one of Juzo swings before thrusting again with Lunar Eclipse, and _again_ , Juzo managed to parry inches before the Keyblade pierced his flesh. _'Oh come on!'_ Roxas thought as he began to parry Juzo's fast and strong strikes. Seeing an opportunity, the Keyblade wielder jumped back from Juzo and covered himself in a transparent spherical bubble before charging forward.

"That won't work!" Juzo declared as his sword was suddenly coated with a heavy layer of water, rendering it two times bigger and thicker than what it was. With a loud grunt, Juzo swung the flat side of the executioner blade at the incoming bubble. The result was almost instantaneous as the bubble Roxas was in flew in a great deal of speed to the nearby wall and _through it_.

Fortunately, the blonde dispelled the bubble and adjusted himself, albeit with difficulty and chance. Roxas coughed lightly from the dust around him, his mind still processing what just happened to him. _'And I thought fish-face was bad news. This guy is just as bad. Though I guess it was to be expected, after all, the Venoms don't accept pushovers in their ranks…'_

" **Suichū (Waterspout)!"**

"The hell?" Roxas stated with a surprised tone as a blue magic seal suddenly appeared under him. Before he could react, a tower of water sent him flying toward the ceiling where, via a Teleportaion magic seal, Juzo was waiting for him, feet stuck to the wall. "Great…" Roxas muttered, crossing his two keyblades before him once again. He also closed his eyes momentarily and calmed his breathing. The spell he was going to use needed him to be completely calm, after all.

"Giving up already?" Juzo chuckled before jumping from the wall and bringing his sword back, a hundred meters away from Roxas.

 _Not yet…_

Fifty meters…

 _Not yet…_

Twenty meters…

 _Not yet!_

Ten meters…

"Now! **Stop!** "

And obeying Roxas' order, time itself stopped, freezing everything in its position, though it was only for seven seconds.

But in Roxas' case, seven seconds were more than enough.

Quickly leaping away, the Keyblade user pointed Total Eclipse at Juzo and fired a beam of light that hit its target in the exact moment that the time returned to its original flow.

"AHHH!" The water mage yelled as the light beam hit him and exploded, sending him rocketing toward the ceiling he had jumped from, where he impacted with a spider web.

"Hm, **Stop** rules." Roxas declared with a smirk as he twirled his Keyblades. He then looked upward and, much to his shock, Juzo's body was shifting into…water?

 _Swish!_

"Holy!" Roxas yelled as he jumped over a fast approaching sharp object which, after letting it pass under him, turned out to be Juzo's Executioner blade. The blade continued to twirl in the air past him, only to be caught by Juzo as he suddenly appeared right next to it.

Seeing that the Juzo in front of him isn't damaged whatsoever and connecting it with the other Juzo, Roxas concluded to the only possible answer. ' _Water Clone…'_ the blonde thought with a low growl.

"Damn, you're pretty good kid, though I expected more from the wielder of the Keyblade." Juzo praised.

"I told you that flattery won't get you anywhere, didn't I?" Roxas asked.

"That you did, but doesn't it mean that I have to stop? I don't think so." The Water mage declared as he reentered his fighting stance. "So, Blondie, what do you say about a round two?"

His answer came into the form of Roxas laughing lightly and changing his Keyblades before entering a new fighting stance completely different from the last one. The same could be said about his new Keyblades.

The left one's shaft displays two hearts, and its handle bears two angel wings with the teeth fashioned in the shape of the Kanji "light". It is overall silver colored, with only the teeth being yellow and their core blue. (Keyblade: Oathkeeper…)

The other one had a hilt guard comprised of two bat-like wings extending downward, and its teeth are in the shape of the Kanji for "darkness", contrasting the other Keyblade. A silver chain-like design runs up the length of the otherwise jet-black blade, with a diamond in its hilt also resembles a lozenge. (Keyblade: Oblivion…)

"Bring it on!" Roxas declared, sprinting toward Juzo who mimicked the act.

That is, until Juzo felt a sting in his Venom insignia as it glowed red, followed by a big explosion coming from the upper room.

' _Already? Shit, the old geezer is gonna be pissed…'_ Juzo cursed, knowing what the red color of his Venom mark meant.

Jose Porla is K.O.

"Well, this was fun while it lasted." Juzo announced to a still sprinting Roxas, the latter having doubled his speed after the explosion. A magic seal appeared under the swordsman, and just a millimeter away from being slashed, Juzo was teleported. And since he had no time to stop himself, Roxas smashed his face directly into the wall in front of him.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Yahiko and Kisame were clashing in their own battle, Yahiko's trident colliding endlessly with Kisame's bandaged sword. Shockwaves were created all over the places as the two mages moved at a great speed, both trying to overpower each other.

For the untrained eye, it looked like they were even. But for a professional, it was easy to see that Kisame's brute strength far outclasses Yahiko's.

Gritting his teeth, Yahiko jumped away from the shark-man and summoned two magic seals in front of him and fired twin large bullets of water, both soaring quickly in Kisame's direction.

" **Daikaisuidan (Great Water Mass Bullet)!"**

"It seems Fox didn't tell you everything about me, heh…" Kisame grinned before blocking the two water bullets with his large sword. The bullets impacted hard, making the swordsman slide back a little, but seconds after that and…nothing. The water bullets just…disappeared.

"What?" Yahiko asked aloud, emanating a laugh from Kisame.

"I am sorry to disappoint, but my sword Samehada love fresh magic. And those bullets were sadly not enough to setate its appetite." Kisame stated, and his bandaged sword giggled in response, or at least it sounded like a giggle under all of those bandages. "Oh hush, Samehada. He may not have nearly as much magic as Fox, but I am sure he'll do."

' _Sweet, I am fighting a lunatic with a sentient sword. Just sweet…'_ Yahiko thought drily before ducking under a fast swing from Kisame's sword, its owner having closed the distance between himself and Yahiko in less time than the eye need to blink. Seeing another slash coming, Yahiko was forced to parry it as he was now on the defensive, and he did so for a whole combo of Kisame's brutal strikes.

"Now I wonder, did Fox dump this fight on you or did you volunteer? Because you don't seem fit for it." Kisame stated as he bashed Yahiko in the ribs with Samehada. The orange haired man skid through the ground before adjusting himself in a handstand, sparks of lightning flying around his left arm as he pointed it at Kisame. _'Let's see how much your sword likes lightning in its face…'_ Yahiko thought with a scowl, a stream of lightning leaving his hand, sailing directly toward Kisame, too fast for him to dodge, forcing him to block.

" **Jibashi (Electromagnetic Murder)!"**

But still, it had almost effect on the shark looking man as Samehada absorbed it once again, though it had stunned him a little. "Now that wasn't fair playing. I didn't know that you had any control over **Lightning Magic** …" Kisame smirked and adjusted himself, as if he hadn't just been hit by a high voltage lightning spell. Though it did damage him nevertheless; his burnt clothes are clear proof.

"Huh, I thought that the moniker Poseidon would have given you a hint." Yahiko replied as he flipped over himself and stood on his feet. "Still, it's good to know that you don't like some lightning on your face…"

Kisame snorted. "Please, that was absolutely nothing. The Venoms training methods have fried me with more lightning that you could possibly imagine, making me gain a great resistance to it. But now…" Kisame said, smiling sadistically, "…Let's not get sidetracked by my story, shall we?"

In the exact instant that Kisame finished his sentence, a multitude of bright blue magic appeared before them, startling Yahiko for a second. When he returned his sight to Kisame's direction, the shark-man was gone. _'Typical…'_ Yahiko sighed, before focusing on the magic seals above him, who now were raining… _'Wait, are those sharks?'_

And true enough, a great number of water mini-sharks were deluging in his direction from all angles at break-neck speed, making it impossible to dodge. _'Block it is then…'_ Acting quickly, Yahiko positioned his trident over him and spun it rapidly, creating a thick bubble of water around him that blocked each and every mini-shark that collided with it. _'Now where did sushi-man go, I wonder…'_

Yahiko's answer came into the form of two hands grasping his ankles. "Wait, what!?" Yahiko yelled, surprised. He could say nothing more however as the hands suddenly pulled him down, dragging him through the floor into the lower room.

Falling down, Yahiko tried to adjust himself and create a bubble of water to ease the impact…

" **Samehada Shōbaku (Samehada Colliding Explosion)!"**

' _Shit…'_ Yahiko grit his teeth once again and silently cursed his luck as Kisame suddenly appeared before him and slashed downwardly with Samehada, sending a giant wave of water on him. This of course increased, Yahiko's falling speed and made him impact with the ground in a giant boom, creating a humongous dust cloud. The place stood somewhat silent for over fifteen seconds before Yahiko finally managed to get up, albeit groggily.

"Ah shit…I think I broke something…" Yahiko groaned, hardly managing to stand. That last attack got him good. But still, something was not right about this. He was getting tired way too fast, hell he was even sweating bullets! _'And my magic reserves, I have lost so much. But how? I couldn't have burned ethernano that fast in just three or four spells. Sure it's been a while since I was in that stupid fort and because of that I am seriously out of shape, but I don't think that it is gonna make me THIS fucking weak. But then why I am so low on it…'_ Yahiko thought frustratingly, before something came to his mind.

" _I am sorry to disappoint, but my sword Samehada love fresh magic."_

' _Wait a second, could it be that…? No, that can't be…'_ Yahiko's eyes widened as realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"It seems you have finally understood." Kisame's voice resonated from behind Yahiko, prompting the orange haired man to turn around swiftly, trident in hand and ready to take action.

"Understood what?"

"Why, how useless you are against Samehada, of course." The Venom member elaborated. "To be honest, Fox is a much better opponent than you if you ask me, mainly because his magic reserves are abnormally huge, unlike you. So it is reasonable that you did tire rather quickly from this battle."

' _You're kidding me…that thing is able to absorb magic directly from the user via close combat? Then how the hell I am supposed to defeat this guy if he'll milk my ethernano this fast?'_ Yahiko thought with a frown noting that Kisame doesn't appear tired at all. His mind then remembered another sentence that Kisame said and that had bugged him a little. "Is that why you asked me if I have chosen to fight you myself or if Naruto had dumped this on me?"

"Oh no, that is not the reason. You see, Fox does have this tendency to…" Kisame started, only for him to stop as a brief sting coursed his body, his Venom insignia turning red. "Huh, speak of the devil. It seems he had defeated that wimp Jose already." Kisame stated aloud. He chuckled a little and summoned a magic seal underneath him. "Oh well, I guess I will see later, _Poseidon_. And one final advice; you better get away from Fox if you wish to live long."

"Wait!" Yahiko sprinted toward Kisame, but unfortunately, he was unable to catch up with him because of jolt of pain that flared in his left leg, forcing Yahiko to his knees as Kisame teleported out of the place. "The hell did he mean by that…'if you wish to live long'. Was he hinting to something?" Yahiko wondered, slowly getting up. Unable to find an answer, he sighed and cracked his neck, "He said that Naruto had defeated Jose, so I probably need to get to the extraction point. Now if only these freaking stings would stop…" He said while marching, gritting his teeth against the pain.

* * *

 **Minutes earlier – Top Floor of the Phantom Lord Robo-Mecha Guild**

"DAMN THOSE TRAITORS!" Jose Porla roared in fury, smashing his fist against his desk after seeing Juvia and Gajeel's betrayal on his screen. "USELESS PAWNS! THE LOT OF THEM! HOW DARE THEY PLAY ME LIKE THIS!? I swear when I get my hands on them…"

 **BOOM!**

"Well, that was a little rougher than what I expected…" Naruto declared as he emerged from a burnt hole on the ground, his body cloaked in a layer of golden flames that slowly started to dissipate.

"And WHO in the black hell are YOU?" Jose Porla yelled furiously, a shroud of darkness covering his form.

"Oh, I am a person sent to beat the shit out of you and drag you to the other side of Fiore, hope you don't mind." Naruto joked, but for Jose it sounded like an insult. He was about to lash out at him before he noticed something.

"Wait, those whiskers…You are Fox, the leader of those Nighthawks mercenaries. What business do you seek with me? Are you here to help those Fairy Tail cockroaches?" Jose asked, calming himself a little.

"Well, since you appear less berserk now, I am going to tell you. I am here to capture you so I can gather intel about Danzo Shimura, someone you are very familiar with. And no, I have no intention to help anyone in this little "war" of yours." Naruto explained.

"Danzo? You are hunting Danzo Shimura?" Jose stated before he started to laugh loudly, his dark shroud dissipating completely.

"Care to share what is funny in what I have said?" Naruto inquired, eyes narrowed in anger.

Jose let loose long series of chuckles. "The very fact that you _think_ you can hunt _and_ defeat Danzo is laughable, brat. That man has enough power in his hand to destroy you and everything you cherish should you stand in his way. Why do you think that I, a Wizard Saint, have decided to join his ranks if not for that?"

"He already destroyed everything that I cherish, that is why I am hunting him in the first place. And if you have anything that is gonna help me in that quest, than you're going with me, Wizard Saint or not." Naruto declared, golden flames lining his fists. "And as to the reason you would have joined Danzo? Well you're the weakest among the Wizard Saint, and your guild's reputation has deteriorated over the years to the point where people rarely ever call for its service. I guess that is more than enough reasons to seek someone you can suck his dick to grant you some shred of power. At least that is what I understand from your choice of clothes."

"Why you little whelp! I'll show you the power of a Wizard Saint!" Jose snarled, enraged by Naruto's jab at his sexuality. A bright light surrounded his form and Jose found himself in a more militaristic outfit, consisting of a long blue coat closed on the right side of his chest by a belt circling his waist and by another one going over his right shoulder, sporting Phantom Lord's symbol on its buckle. The coat had wide golden stripes going down from the high collar, which sported a pair of large rings hanging from it on the front, to the cuffs, with other golden parts in correspondence to the closure and below the waist, on each side. His Wizard Saint's medallion was still visible on the same spot, but had dark ribbons hanging from it instead. Covering Jose's left arm was a brownish cape, sporting a wide golden-colored stripe near the edges and some small shield-shaped ornaments placed at the same distance from one another. The outfit was completed by loose pants tucked inside brown boots.

"Wow, fancy outfit you got there!" Naruto grinned slyly, further antagonizing the Guild Master of Phantom Lord.

"Oh I'll show you fancy alright!" Jose declared venomously, a purple magic seal appearing before him. Gathering his **Dark Magic** around his hands, Jose's eyes turned briefly black before he fired a dark purple beam through the magic seal, amplifying its size as it flew at Naruto. **"Shade Magic: Dead Wave!"**

Naruto however didn't stand still and wait for the attack to hit him. He quickly summoned his golden sword and covered it in golden fire. The weapon started to glow brighter and twitched lightly as Naruto prepared his strike. "Burn like hell, Sizzler! **Zanshu Engeki!** "

With a single cut, Naruto sent forth a flaming cutting wave toward the dark beam, slicing it in half and continuing forward in Jose's direction. The man however merely brushed it to the side with his **Dark Magic.**

Not wanting to give Jose a chance to strike, Naruto sped forward with his golden sword Sizzler ignited, engaging Jose in a sword fight. However, Naruto had found the hard way that Jose was much faster than he gave him credits, seeing as the Guild Master of Phantom Lord managed to avoid each and every strike he delivered. And it was quite unnerving when Jose was gazing at him with those pitch black eyes of his. _'How this guy became a Wizard Saint, I will never know…'_

"Your moves are too sluggish, whelp." Jose declared tauntingly as he sidestepped a slash from Sizzler and elbowed Naruto right in the face. Stumbling back, Naruto was unprepared for the kick that embraced his face, or the uppercut that smashed his jaw, almost knocking him to the ground. However, he regained his bearing just as Jose was going to continue his assault with a drop kick. Naruto summoned his **Null Chains** and stopped Jose right where he was before smashing him on the ground and sending him soaring away.

In his flight, Jose quickly covered his hands in **Dark Magic** and, upon adjusting himself, fired a canon of darkness at Naruto. The blonde countered by igniting his free hand, rearing it back, then sending a flaming fist forward. **"Hiken!"**

Both attacks soared to each other's direction and annulled each other, but Jose was not done yet.

"Dodge this!" Jose roared angrily, his body suddenly coated in a thick layer of darkness as multiple purple magic seals appeared above him and Naruto, with the latter feeling a little uneasy all of a sudden. _'This rings bad news…'_

"Go my Shades! Kill him!"

The magic seal all shone at once, sending numerous dark creatures straight to Naruto's direction. Naruto was about to counterattack with Sizzler when… "What?" Naruto asked aloud, looking intently before him in speculation. Because, right before his eyes, The 'Shades' that Jose had summoned…stopped moving. Completely. Hell, even Jose sustained the same fate, seemingly stuck in the position of rage he had when he summoned the Shades.

"The shit happened just now?" Naruto wondered, moving forward to check on the creatures. Sizzler was still in his hands, just in case it was a trick from the Wizard Saint.

"Oh, Naruto~~"

Naruto quickly turned around, hearing a faint sound coming from behind him, but strangely enough, no one was there. "Strange, I could have sworn I heard someone calling my name just now…"

"Oh, Narutooo~~"

Again, Naruto quickly turned around, but this time, the area changed. The ground now became much darker and solid, the walls were gone, and wherever he turned, he could only find a wall of blue flames surrounding him. "Okay, that is _very_ creepy…" Naruto muttered lowly. He didn't know where he was right now, but one thing is sure; this is definitely not the Phantom Lord guild.

"Oh, Narutooooo~~"

"Who's there?" Naruto spun on his heels quickly, hand and sword covered in golden flames. From his position, the only other being he could see was a retreating from of what appeared to be a human as he/she delved slowly into the blue flames. "Wait!" Naruto yelled and sprinted toward her. He didn't know if he/she had heard him, but the human being suddenly stopped. Right there and then, Naruto heard something that made him freeze.

"Welcome, darling~~" A husky _female_ voice purred into his ears, but Naruto could feel no one that close to him. And upon turning, Naruto, to his never ending surprise, he found nobody.

' _Am I going crazy or something?'_ Naruto wondered, not understanding what was going on. _'This couldn't be one of Jose's tricks, could it?'_

" **GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!"**

A hellish roar boomed in the land as the ground began shaking and cracking. And before Naruto knew it, a humongous creature emerged from the ground, roaring once again. The creature was somewhat humanoid as it stood in two legs, but that is about the only common factor it shared with humans. Its skin was rocky and cracked, with said cracks shinning a vibrant red. It was at least three times taller and six times larger than the blonde, with four clawed arms; two being positioned on the creature's shoulder blades. Finally, its head was clearly demonic, with long spiky twin black horns and a very angry scowl.

To sum it up, it looked like something that came from a horror movie.

"What in the bloody hell is this thing!?" Naruto wondered aloud, appalled by the monstrosity before him. He had seen a good number of monsters in his journey, but this one easily takes the cake in term of spookiness. It also didn't help that the creature emanated a very eerie feeling that seemed to be focused on the blonde right now.

" **RAAAAAAGH!"** With a loud roar, the monster charged at Naruto, forcing the blonde to jump out of the way. But the creature did not let him and quickly jumped after him, its four hands encased in crimson fire.

' _Oh great…'_ Naruto noted drily, encasing his free hand fully in golden fire.

" **Hibashira!"**

Naruto roared as sent a column of fire toward the monster, hitting it right in the face.

" **Graaaah!"**

Or maybe not.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me…" Naruto exclaim with wide eyes as he saw the monster inhale his golden fire as if it was nothing. And now that nothing stood in its way, the demonic creature continued its decent toward the blonde mage, the fire in its hands as well as the cracks in his body shining even more intensely than before.

As if that alone wasn't enough, Sizzler had suddenly disappeared from his hands, and he couldn't call it back no matter what he tried. _'Great, just fucking great…'_

With no other options, Naruto once again dodged the attack of the descending monster before it smashed him, though the backlash from the impact the creature made with the ground had sent him propelling, skidding a few times before he finally stopped.

' _Just where the hell am I, and what the hell am I fighting for that matter? How could it absorb my golden fire? And why the fuck can't I summon Sizzler? When did it dispel in the first place, actually? This can't be something that Jose have done…But then who? Who was the responsible of me getting here, wherever that is? Is that woman's voice?'_ All those questions popped in Naruto's confused mind at once as he couldn't understand anything happening to him right now. One minute he was fighting Jose Porla and the next one he find himself dropped in some kind of arena fighting god knows what.

' _Okay Naruto, pull it together. First take care of that thing, and then see where the fuck you are'_ Naruto mentally nodded to his plan.

" **GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!"**

"There it is…" Naruto stated as the demonic monster came sprinting for him. Calming down a little, Naruto relaxed himself and let his golden fire surround his body, slowly circulating around his body. Limbs were the first, than was the body and finally the head. Lingering there for a few seconds, the flames suddenly disappeared, leaving in their wake a distinct change in Naruto's skin, mainly the fact that it was now crimson red and _literally_ fuming.

Grinning lightly, Naruto got in stance and looked at the quickly coming monster. "Here I come!" Naruto stated energetically before…vanishing?

The demonic monster, seeing that his target was no longer there, stopped its charge and started to look around curiously, unable to find him anywhere.

"Over here!" Naruto exclaimed as he suddenly appeared right in front of him with a big golden fireball in his hand. The monster, seemingly surprised, tried to grab Naruto, but the blonde disappeared in a red flash before it could.

"I'm here!" The blonde now appeared at the creature's right, but he again disappeared with another red flash before it could grasp him.

"Here!"

"No! Here!"

"Too slow!"

Again and again, Naruto appeared and disappeared numerous times, and each time the demonic creature failed to catch him. Not that he ever will; the technique that Naruto was using right now made him simply far too fast to ever be caught by its claws.

Its principle was fairly similar to a technique he had studied that belonged to a former Wizard Saint called Minato Namikaze, which Zetsu had brought to him along with the Rasengan when the blonde was trained by him four years ago. The technique of the Wizard Saint was basically a space-time spell that allowed him to teleport instantly to any place he wished via a special mark he created using **Seal Magic**.

Naruto's version was much simpler, as it allowed him to teleport at lightning-fast speed to anywhere near a heat source, like human bodies for examples, by using his own body as a medium after being consumed by his golden fire, though only if said heat source was within a two hundred meters distance. Also, this version's buff will last only a few minutes, unlike the original version where time limits were completely irrelevant.

The original technique's name was **Hiraishin** , aka the **Flying Thunder God**. But since Naruto had only took the teleportion aspect from it, he did not maintain the same name, and rather opted for a totally different title. And that is…

" **Kōsenka: Ōdama Rasengan (Crimson Flash: Giant Rasengan)!"**

Appearing right above the demonic monster, Naruto quickly brought the giant fireball right on its head before it could sense him and smashed it to the ground, emanating a loud roar of pain from the monster as its head further sunk into the ground.

" **GRAAAAAAAAAR!"**

And with that final roar, the demonic monster was down for good, its head blown to pieces as the fireball exploded.

"Well, that was surprisingly easier than what I thought." Naruto declared, scratching the back of his head, his **Crimson Flash** spell slowly starting to dissipate. "Now, to find where the fuck I am…"

"Oh, Naruto~~"

' _Not that voice again…'_ Naruto groaned, looking around for the woman calling for him. "Whoever you are, show yourself right now!"

"But I am right here …" the voice called from behind him again, and Naruto turned quickly and ready to strike, only to be stabbed right in the heart, making him stop immediately. It only increased his shock when he saw that he was struck by Sizzler, his own sword, and that no one was wielding it.

"And I'll be waiting for you next visit, darling~~"

A gasp escaped Naruto's throat as his eyes shot open, his body stumbling forward. The blonde looked around him frantically, as if there was someone following, and continued doing so for a long time before finally regaining his bearing. He then noted that Sizzler was still in his hand, and no injury was placed over his body. A relieved sigh escape his lips _'Crap, what the hell just happened to me? It felt…real.'_

Feeling a little better, Naruto got up groggily and looked around. He was back in the Phantom Lord guild, in the exact room where he was fighting Jose Porla. _'Speaking of which, where is he?'_ Naruto wandered, before he saw a body lying on the ground before him.

A body that belonged to none other than the Guild Master of Phantom Lord.

"Shit!" Naruto cursed and sprinted toward the downed Wizard Saint, checking if he was alive or not. Fortunately, he still was among the living, if barely. _'But I was the only one fighting him, and I sure as hell don't remember defeating him. In that case, who did?'_ Naruto wondered again, something he did a lot today. "This is giving me a serious headache." Naruto said as he took his lachrymal from his pocket and activated it.

"Hey Deidara! I've got Jose, are your birds ready to get us outta here?"

" _Yep! Just get to the extraction point. I am sure everyone else is going there right now, yeah. Meanwhile, I'm gonna get Seventeen. Neji says that Makarov Dreyar is near."_

"Ok, you two be careful. Out." Naruto stated before he carried Jose on his shoulder. "Damn, you're heavy for a slimy bastard."

The blonde then walked to the back of the Robo-Mecha guild, where Deidara had left a couple of his explosive birds.

Unknown to him, a small black pixie was watching him from above, a disturbing smile plastered on her face. _'At least I know that he is the one now…Mistress will be so proud when I will bring him to her…'_

* * *

 **Outside the Robo-Mecha Guild**

"Is that all you guys can really do? Well I am disappointed…" Seventeen said as he dusted his clothes, looking with a bored face at the beaten Fairy Tail mages before him. They were hellbent in going to Phantom Lord so that they can 'avenge their friends'. At first, he didn't want to attack, but those people were much too stubborn to listen to words, so he tried the next best thing; fists.

And to his utter disappointment, no one of them has even managed to injure him, not even the _fearsome_ Titania, Erza Scarlet. _'Fearsome my ass…'_ Seventeen scoffed.

"Hey, jackass! Get the hell out of my way! I'm gonna bash those Phantom bastards and avenge our friends!" Natsu yelled, charging directly at Seventeen.

"Yeah, you said that for like the hundredth time…" Seventeen quickly blitzed out of view and delivered a powerful fist to Natsu's gut, making him spit a handful of saliva. "…But the answer is still no." The cyborg declared, tossing Natsu to the side carelessly. "Seriously guys, don't rush ahead in battles that you can't win, that will only end in you death."

"As long as we have each other, we will never lose!" Erza declared confidently as she got up.

"Oh really? I don't see that happening right now." Seventeen raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Do this people think that they can just jump in any battle and come out of it alive because they have _friends_? Who taught them such a ridiculous concept?

Erza, along with a few other mages that felt insulted by Seventeen's doubting of their 'nakama power', were about to jump at the black haired man and engage in battle once again, but a giant hand beat them to it.

"Hola!" The cyborg spoke in surprise and dodged the incoming hand.

"You! What do you think you are doing to my children?" Makarov Dreyar demanded angrily as he stepped up, veins popping in his forehead.

"Uh…telling them to stay still…" Seventeen answered honestly, not wanting to antagonize the clearly enraged Wizard Saint.

"Heads up!"

Everyone looked up except Seventeen, who already knew what was gonna happen. And much to everyone's surprise, they were seeing a fast approaching clay mini-bird. Only Makarov knew what it was though.

"Everybody get down!"

"Say hello to my art! **Katsu!"**

 **BOOM!**

The bomb exploded a few meters away from the Fairy Tail mages, creating a huge dust cloud that allowed Seventeen to hop on Deidara's bird as it swept down without anyone interfering.

"Phew, now that was close!" Seventeen chuckled.

"Well you better thank Neji, if it wasn't for him you would have been stuck fighting a Wizard Saint all by yourself, yeah." Deidara butted in.

"It is my job, no need to thank."

"Yeah, whatever you say buddy. So where are we going now?"

"Balsam. We need to deliver Jose to Portia's agents so that they can give us the intel we need about Danzo." Neji was the one who answered.

"Then what are we waiting for? Deidara, get that thing flying faster." Seventeen declared mischievously.

"It is not a _thing_ , it's FUCKING ART. GET YOUR FUCKING SHIT STRAIGHT." The blonde artist declared comically as the white bird carried the trio toward Balsam.

* * *

 **AND DONE!**

 **Well, what do you guys think of this chapter, especially the fighting scenes? I honestly ain't proud of them, since it's my first fanfiction and all, but what about you?**

 **Like it? Leave a review. Hate it? Leave a review. Don't have an opinion? Leave a review…or don't…whatever suits you.**

 **And remember guys, feel free to PM me about anything you'll like me to add in this story. Whether it's enemies, missions, monsters or anything else, just PM, or even leave a review, and I'll consider adding it to this Fanfic.**

 **Neo Madara Uchiha, out! SEE YA LATER!**


	6. Chapter 6: Let The Hunt Begin!

**Hello there, Neo Madara Uchiha is in the house! And he's back with another chapter. YEEHAH!**

 **And…Dammit! I have got nothing to say. AGAIN!**

 **You probably better off without it, so…**

 **LET'S GET ON WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER OF THE NIGHTHAWKS! YEEHAH!**

"Oops…" – Talks

 _'Oopsy…'_ – Thoughts

 **"Get original, moron!"** – Techniques

 **Nighthawks**

 **Chapter 6: Let The Hunt Begin!**

 _It was hell._

 _In all of his life, he never felt this horrified from something, much less his own element; Fire. It was everywhere, engulfing everything in its unholy blazes without a shred of mercy, be it buildings, bodies or even rocks; nothing was spared from the cruel fate of being turned to a pile of ashes._

 _From his position up above in the chopper, his eyes let loose twin lines of salty water trace his cheeks, unable to contain the sadness that washed over him as he hopelessly watched his home, the place he fought tooth and nail for, crumble to shambles and burn to the ground, completely annihilated._

 _But the worst feeling that he experienced did not come from the horrible, dismaying sight. No, it was seeing the multiple groups of his comrades still down in the destroyed land, trapped by the assailants, while he and few others flew away that made him hate himself more than anything, cursing his inability to help them. It also did not help that he witnessed many loyal friends die in front of him so that he can get away and survive._

 _But then again, what could he have done? There was only a few thousands of them and hundreds of thousands of enemies, and that is without counting the hostile choppers and battleships that surrounded them. Add to this the fact that they were attacked without previous warning and, well, the battle's outcome was easily foreseeable before it even began._

 _Blinking his eyes, he suddenly found himself starring at a beautiful blue-haired woman as she inched to the chopper's exit door, her clothes slightly torn and her skin much paler than the usual._

 _"I'm sorry…" She muttered apologetically, a sad smile on her face, before she jumped out._

 _"NOOOOOO!"_

 _With a defying yell, he darted after her, his eyes wide open in disbelief. To his misfortune, he was not fast enough to catch her and could only watch as she continued her fall into the ocean._

 _And then it came._

 _ **"BOOOOOOOOM!"**_

* * *

"…Naruto-san. Naruto-san, are you still with us?"

Naruto blinked several times as a feminine voice finally got through his ears. "Huh, what?" The blonde blurted out, his eyes focusing on the female before him.

She was a black haired beauty with long hair, blue eyes protected by a pair of glasses, and a light complexion. She wore a white blouse under a black leather jacket and a black skirt. Her fingers were very close to his face as she continued to snap them, stopping only now since she noticed that he snapped out of it.

"Oh don't mind him, Beltza-chan. He was just momentarily stunned by your beauty. Something I can relate to if you ask me." Yahiko declared as suddenly appeared next to Naruto, wrapping an arm around his neck and winking to the black haired woman, making her flush lightly.

"U-um, sure…If you say so…" The woman now known as Beltza said with a nervous laugh, flattered by the orange haired mage's comment.

Currently, the Nighthawks were inside the hideout that Portia had mentioned when she debriefed him and Yahiko on their mission back in Balsam Town. It was well hidden with the mountains surrounding it and was equipped with enough magic Lacrimas to create an invisible barrier around it that fully masked its location, further enhancing its stealthy position.

In fact, if the woman before him, Beltza, hadn't sent a signal to his communication Lacrima, the mercenaries would have never found the hideout in the first place.

That Portia sure doesn't play around when it comes to business.

"If you're done flirting with the lady, Yahiko, get your hand off me…" Naruto spoke with a light edge on his voice, a tick mark pooping on his forehead.

"Yeah, man. You look like a gay couple after honeymoon. That's bad impression for the lady with us." Roxas snickered, getting instantaneous glares from both Naruto and Yahiko.

"Says THE gay asshole…" Nero declared aloud, making the blonde in question turn at him with a furious expression.

"Who are you calling a gay asshole you albino piece of shit!?" The wielder of the Keyblade yelled at the human/demon hybrid, who didn't stood idly by and smashed his forehead against Roxas, sparks of lightning flying between the two's eyes.

"What did you just say!?"

"I said you're a fucking albino looking piece of shit. Or are you deaf too?"

Footsteps approached as the two swordsman continued to bicker, followed by a gruff voice calling for them. "Hey, brats…"

"WHAT!?" Both Roxas and Nero screamed at the same time, turning to vent their anger on whomever it was that interrupted them, only to cower as they were met with a comically giant head of Kakuzu glaring ominously at them, a dark glint in his eyes.

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." The masked old man said slowly with a dangerous edge on his voice, and it was very effective as the two previously bickering men quietly separated from each other, making some occupants of the room snicker, or giggle in Beltza's case.

"This is embarrassing." Neji muttered while shaking his head in disappointment.

"I second that." Gaara nodded.

"Oh don't be such killjoys, um. If it wasn't for this crazy ambiance we have here, we would be just stereotypical wizards, and let's be honest; nobody here wants that, right?" Deidara affirmed as he brushed a lock of hair behind his ears, getting a raised eyebrow from both Neji and Gaara.

"I suppose that's true to some extent." Neji declared, with Gaara nodding in agreement.

"AHEM!" Clearing his throat loudly, Seventeen managed to regain the full attention of the room's occupant. "I am sorry to intervene in the…conversation, but it would be best if we get back to the discussion about what Jose had on that guy Danzo. Don't you agree?"

An anonymous nod followed Seventeen's words, as everyone wanted to know what Beltza managed to gather after interrogating Jose. "Wait a second! What do you mean by what Jose _had_?" Naruto asked, his eyebrow elevated in confusion.

"Well, Jose Porla had a seal containing poison traced in the back of his head that activated itself a few minutes after I was scanning his brain with the machines we have here, killing him and damaging his neurons to the point where all of information once contained in his head was damaged to a very extreme state. Though we managed to gather some useful at least, and that is good enough, I believe." Beltza declared as she adjusted her glasses, moving closer to a keyboard and typed something. A magic Lacrima on the ceiling suddenly shone and sent a beam downward, which eventually became a holographic screen.

"Just out of curiosity, how does Portia trust you with monitoring all of this when you're alone in this place?" Seventeen asked, as he got a good look at the place and all the enginery it had, and thus had a hard time believing that one person can be enough to supervise it.

"I have my ways, and Lady Portia trusts me because she knows what I am capable of, but let's not dwell on that too much." Beltza declared. "So as I was saying, we didn't manage to get a lot from Jose Porla, but what we obtained is not unimportant. The first information we got is about someone who seems quite close to Danzo Shimura and is an international criminal; Orochimaru." Beltza declared with a somewhat grim tone.

The holographic screen changed and displayed the face of the Orochimaru. The most striking characteristic about him is his snake-like appearance, accentuated with very pale skin, golden eyes with slitted pupils, purple markings around said eyes and fang-like teeth. He also has pronounced cheekbones and straight black hair with some locks covering and framing his face.

"Oh fucking great…" Nero declared with a wince.

"Yeah. This guy is like a snake version of fish-face, and that isn't a very heartwarming thought if you ask me…" Roxas affirmed.

"Well he is a member of the three Legendary Mages, along with his former partners Jiraya and Tsunade. All three of them are both revered and feared in the battlefield; that is a clear testimony of his power." Neji added, raising an eyebrow in slight confusion when he saw that both Naruto and Roxas flinched at the mention of Tsunade.

"I don't give a damn about who he is or what titles he possesses, if he got something on Danzo, he's the next in my hit list." Naruto declared with determination, quickly regaining his composure.

"That's the spirit Boss, yeah!" Deidara said loudly with a fist pumped in the air.

"You underestimate the likes of Orochimaru and Danzo, brat. They are very cunning and scheming in all their actions. Hunting them unprepared might result in your death." Kakuzu warned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Are you saying that you're gonna quit that early in the adventure, old man?" Seventeen asked cheekily, gaining a cold glare from Kakuzu. "Geez dude, chillax. I was just joking."

Kakuzu merely 'hmph'ed.

"Don't worry, Kakuzu. I may look hell-bent on killing Danzo, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna run through dangers that might kill any of you guys. If you aren't satisfied with something I do or say, I'm all ears for your suggestions." Naruto stated with a thumbs up pose.

"Unless it has something to do with ramen. You don't listen to shit when it comes to that." Yahiko pointed out.

"Isn't it the same with you and flirting with every girl you meet?" The whiskered blond countered with a smirk.

"Touché." The water mage admitted. "But back to the topic at hand. So now we know that this Orochimaru is working with Danzo. The question is: How are we going to find him?"

"That will lead us to the next information we have obtained." Beltza stated, a small smile creeping its way to her face. She was actually enjoying the company of the mercenary group, as unorthodox as its members are, and secretly thanked her Lady for letting them come to her hideout. She got bored most of the time here because of the lack of activity to do and seeing the interaction of such lively people sure did entertain her a little.

With a few more typing in the keyboard, the holographic screen removed the image of Orochimaru and substituted it with two images of different surroundings. "The following images represent the most probable hideouts that, according to Jose, Orochimaru could be residing in for the current time. The one at the left is the Wave Land, a little island in the West offshores of Fiore. The other one is in a south-west mountainous region called the Sound Land. Both are a sort of haven to criminals and Dark Mages, but that is all I know about these locations besides their exact coordination."

"So we're likely to split up…" Neji deduced with a frown.

"And split up we will. But we'll talk about that on route." Naruto nodded to Neji's idea. "Is there any other info that Jose had on Danzo, or even Orochimaru?"

"Well…that is where things become complicated." Beltza admitted as she deactivated the hologram screen. "The last information that we've got from Porla is only two words that seems to be the reason his seal got activated. And these words are: Great Sage."

"That's it?" Roxas asked with furrowed brows. "What does that mean?"

"Something very important if Danzo was willing to kill one of his own just to keep it a secret…" Gaara gave his two cents on the matter, which was the only possible logical explanation.

"Still, that doesn't answer the question of what exactly is this something, yeah." Deidara added, though his answer came from the least expected person.

"An old legend."

Everybody, even Beltza, turned toward Kakuzu, slightly surprised at what he just said.

"Come again?" Nero and Roxas spoke at the same time.

"I said that it is an old legend." The masked green haired man declared seriously. "This 'Great Sage' is a person who, following the myth, is the progenitor of nowadays Magic. It is said that, eons ago, he had liberated humanity from a nefarious power and replaced it with nowadays magic, the latter of which he himself had created. And for that feat, he had been given a seat among the gods. No one knows his name, but it is believed that even legendary beings Zeref and Achnologia are kindergarten children compared to him. Of course, with the passing of the centuries, the legend has changed and took various versions to it, and reliable information became shrouded in lies, so even I don't know if it's one hundred percent sure."

All the room's occupants were left appalled at what they just heard.

"Man, this is some serious shit…" Seventeen declared with a cringe.

Neji couldn't help but agree with the black haired cyborg. "And if Danzo have any interest in it, then this myth must hold some truth to it. A very dangerous one."

"All the more reasons to stop Danzo from executing whatever plans he has in mind, especially those surrounding this 'Great Sage' person." Naruto declared seriously, gaining anonymous agreement from the rest of the mercenaries. Turning around, the whiskered blonde started marching toward the exit door, his hand mentioning to the others to follow him. "Let's go everybody. We got a snake to hunt."

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

Somewhere far isolated from the rest of cities and towns of the world, one Danzo Shimura was sitting in a sofa, slowly sipping a cup of tea. The room he was hosted in consisted of a purple and red trademark design, with large pillars, three floors with walkways visible, and on the ground floor, an oak made large round table, which was right in front of the sofa Danzo was sitting at.

"So, your mission has failed…" Danzo uttered as he brought the cup back on the table, staring with his lone uncovered eye at the duo in front of him, who were none other than Kisame and Juzo. The two have arrived before him about an hour ago, with Kisame being the one having gave their failed missions' report.

"In our defense, Danzo-sama, Jose was defeated much more quickly than what we anticipated, and because of…" Juzo lips sprang into action, but immediately stopped as Danzo raised his palm in a sign of silence.

"Good then. Everything has gone smoothly." The frail looking old man declared impassively as he looked at Kisame, ignoring Juzo and what he had declared. The latter however did not do the same, and spoke his mind almost as soon as Danzo finished.

"Wait, what!?"

"You have heard me, Biwa." Danzo pronounced with an edge, quickly reminding the black haired man whom he was talking to. "Jose Porla was becoming a nuisance and a liability lately, and with the special seal I have implanted on him, Fox would only be able to get from him what I want to be known." The leader of the Venoms further elaborated, clearing the confusion that lit Juzo's mind.

However, the absence of confusion only cleared the way for anger to swarm Juzo's mind. "Hold on a second! Are you telling me that you sent us for nothing?"

Danzo did not bother answering and simply turned his sight to Kisame, his lone eye narrowed in annoyance. "Where did you find this person, exactly?"

"In the Bingo Book. Good fighter, though he's still kind of a newbie to all of this debriefings and whatnot. So don't get all worked up on him, old man." Kisame said with a confident and somewhat friendly tone, though internally he was sweating bullets. _'Great fucking job Juzo, just go ahead and piss off the old man. It's not like something would happen to us besides being…_ _ **disciplined**_ _…'_ The shark looking man fought with all of his being to suppress the urge to cringe that suddenly overcame him.

Danzo stayed silent, merely staring at the duo for a few more seconds, especially at the new member of the Venoms' elite; Juzo Biwa. It was people with such rebellious character like him that made Danzo opt for his personal ROOT division in some missions; a group of warriors that would obey his words without so much as a word of retaliation no matter how suicidal or insane the assignment is. After all, absolute loyalty was crucial for a large and strong organization such as his.

Seconds passed, and the three people stayed immobile in their positions, seemingly frozen in time, before a small holographic screen appeared before the old man, with a white masked man wearing a cape appearing in it.

"Danzo-sama, the meeting is going to start shortly." The man declared with a hollow tone, seemingly devoid of emotions, before the screen faded and disappeared following a nod from Danzo. The old man then refocused his sight on the two before him.

"You two are now free until your next assignment. And Kisame…" Danzo's eye narrowed as he gazed at the shark man "…be mindful of Biwa's… _insubordination_ and try to fix it. Dismissed."

The two nodded immediately, even though Juzo was rather stiff in doing so, and summoned a Teleportation Magic Seal underneath them, disappearing from Danzo's sight with a bright illumination.

Now alone in the room, Danzo snapped his fingers and, instantaneously, a giant holographic screen divided in multiple smaller ones appeared before him, with multiple figures appearing in them. Three of these screens were black though.

"And we gather again…" One of the persons in the holographic screens announced. From his sound, one can deduce that it is an old man. This fact was closer to the truth with the long white beard that the individual possessed.

"Kukuku, indeed. It has been over six months since we all had a collective meeting like this…" The creepy voice of Orochimaru declared semi-cheerfully.

"And I believe that it would be in our best to consecrate it to revise _the plan_. Because I, for instance, grew doubtful of it ever since the deaths of Edea, Sanctus and Vayne, and you have yet to sedate my worries, Shimura." Another person added with a gruff accusing voice, multiple scares lining his entire face.

"I will by the end of this meeting. However, let us see if all parties are ready for the final act. Any objections?" No words were spoken. "Good then. Let us start by our current military assets. Is there anything to point out?"

"Negative." A person wearing a helmet that covered the entirety of his face replied, his voice sounding a little robotic.

"Nothing here as well. We are merely waiting for the beginning of the final phase." The man with multiple scars affirmed.

"Excellent. What about our grasp on Fiore's Magic Council?"

"Fragile. Fernandez has sped up his personal agenda and if I were to estimate, we have about a week or two at best." The bearded old man stated. "But before we can find an alternate solution, I strongly recommend silencing Fernandez first. He already knows of our alliance and might try to inform the Council should we leave him alive."

"If I may, I wish to personally take care of Fernandez's case." Another unknown person, who was none other than Brain, declared almost eagerly, slightly surprising everyone except Danzo.

"A little too eager, wouldn't you say?" Orochimaru stated with a smirk.

"It doesn't matter. As long as it doesn't interfere with our final goal, you can do whatever you want with Fernandez." Danzo stated with finality, receiving a firm nod from Brain. "Moving on. Have we managed to gain an arrangement with Tartaros yet?"

"No, unfortunately." Again, it was the old bearded man who spoke with a scoff. "Those demons are far too full of themselves to even think of assisting us. Although I personally believe that we are much better without their help."

"Indeed. Even if we are bound with the Ballam Alliance, Tartaros acts on its own and hardly acknowledge anyone else, my guild or Grimoire Heart included. Though with our detention of Sanctus' notes and the knowledge we acquired on demonification and other important concepts in that area, I second the idea that Tartaros' help would not be necessary." Brain affirmed.

"Good riddance, I say." The helmet wearing man further added.

"I see. Finally, what is the status of XOF?"

"And here we go again." The final unknown person, who had stayed quiet during the whole discussion up until now, said with irritation as he adjusted his glasses. "I honestly do not understand why are you so adamant on keeping that failure of an experiment despite the clear signs of lack of loyalty that he displays. Have you forgotten how it went with the _last one_?"

"No, I did not, but that is by no means a reason to eliminate XOF. For as you know, despite the risk of going rogue being present, XOF is a valuable asset and has been very effective in the past assignments that he has been given, so getting rid of him would be a waste even if we have a much more capable replacements. But back to the topic; what is his status?"

"Good. He currently is in my airship, training after his finishing his last mission. Also, you don't have to worry yourself about him; should he prove to be too much of a hindrance, I will personally dispose of him." The old bearded man replied, emanating a nod from Danzo.

"If I may, I wish to inquire about something." Brain requested.

"And what would that be?"

"It is about the projects that have been given to me. Orochimaru said that they are a simulation to something bigger, but from what I read on the files adjoined with them, I do not see where it adds up with the rest of the plan you have told us about. Can you elaborate?" The Guild Master of Oracion Seis asked, his other colleagues' interest peeked by the subject.

"Yes, though this particular point was going to be explained explicitly when revising the final act of the plan. In short, those projects are prototypes to something that Orochimaru suggested to me, and it will play a pivotal tole in slowing down Fox and his band in their crusade against us." Danzo elaborated, making Brain nod slowly.

"Is that so...?" Brain uttered, not understanding the full meaning behind Danzo's words.

"Speaking of which, what are you planning to do with the growing threat of the Nighthawks? They have already defeated two of our major allies, both who were directly connected to the final phase of the plan, and now they seem to have gotten even stronger. Shouldn't we use excessive force to get rid of them once and for all instead of slowing them down as you suggest and take the risk letting them expose our secrets to the world, especially when their **main goal** is to destroy us?" The heavily scared man stated sternly, his eyes narrowed and directed to the calm and collected Danzo.

"Wow, I didn't know that conquerors can be such pussies."

An unknown voice resonated in the room, though this time, it did not come from the holographic screens. Calmly glancing sideways, Danzo managed to spot a figure standing not too far from the sofa he was sitting on.

It was a female; an eighteen years old one if he had to guess. She had long brown hair that reaches down to the middle of her back, with long parted bangs and a single lock of hair falling into her face. Her skin was slightly pale, contrasting the black attire she donned, which consisted of a black long-sleeved kimono shirt with whitish flames designed on its sleeves' end and a matching knee-length skirt. Finally, a white obi was wrapped around her waist.

However, the most distinguishing features that immediately caught Danzo's eye was her lavender irides that lacked any visible pupils. _'The Byakugan.._. _'_ Danzo thought, immediately deducing that the woman before him was a Hyuga.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" The heavily scared man ordered/yelled at the unknown woman.

"Now that is impolite, Mr. Pussy. You don't ask a lady's name before giving yours." The female Hyuga declared playfully, not showing even a hint of surprise when six masked men appeared out of nowhere and surrounded her before sprinting forward all at once, weapons in hand. "But if you insist..."

It happened in less than a millisecond.

One instant, the six masked men were only a meter away from reaching the lavender eyed woman, their weapons already in mid swing. The next one, time itself seemed to freeze along with the six men's movements, whilst the Hyuga woman had channeled magic to her palm and fingers and entered a special stance, readying herself to execute one of her clan's most infamous techniques.

 **"Hakke Sanjūni Shō (Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms)!"**

With two strikes to the heart, she ended the life of one masked man. And with two additional ones to the same area, she killed another. Four hits were inflicted on the third one and the double on the fourth one. As for the last two, they had sustained eight accurate and fatal blows each. All this was done with such an elegance and speed that, when time returned to its original flow, all six persons fell flat on the floor at the exact same time, their souls having long since a exited their bodies, with the unknown hyuga female not sporting any sign that proved she put an effort in this stunt.

"...My name is Hanabi. Hanabi Hyuga."

 _'Hmm, interesting...'_ Danzo thought as he eyed the woman now identified as Hanabi. He was not that impressed that she defeated his guards that easily; they were the weakest among his ROOT troop. However, they were still quite the tough opponents for any 'slightly above average' kind of mages. And though this girl wiping the floor with them clearly showed her appartenance to a higher league of wizards, it was the fact that she was a Hyuga that drew his interest the most.

After all, the Hyugas died a few months ago in what was dubbed as the 'Hyuga Genocide', and the only known survivor to the world, and to him, is definitely not this girl before him.

"Just who do you think you are to barge in this meeting room and kill our personnel? Or better yet, HOW did you get in here in the first place?" The glasses wearing man demanded; his face a dangerous scowl.

"Well, in order: A badass. And your security is shit for professionals like me." Hanabi boasted, her eyes gleaming with pride.

 **Crack!**

A sudden voice was heard below here and thin lines appeared on the ground's surface. Acting on instinct as her danger senses kicked in, Hanabi jumped back just an instant before dark green wood spikes jutted upward where she was previously standing, all of them possessing sharp edges that would have instantly killed her had she been careless. Quickly activating her Eye Magic, Hanabi scanned the area for any more similar traps, but found none. In fact, she was surprised to see that the wood spikes had magic flowing in them, meaning that it was a spell and not a regular trap.

 _'But how? He couldn't have possibly cast a spell so stealthily that I wouldn't have caught him, even if I didn't have the Byakugan on. That's just impossible!'_ Hanabi thought with a frown as her sight shifted toward Danzo's direction, the man still calmly sitting in his sofa. ' _Maybe sister wasn't overreacting when she warned me to take this guy very seriously all the time...'_

"Now…" Danzo's spoke as the wooden roots receded back into the ground. "I believe that you are not here for the sole reason of presenting such childish comments against me and my colleagues; especially if you have taken the gamble of infiltrating this room." The man calmly declared as he took another sip from his tea cup. "For that, I am giving you exactly thirty seconds to explain your reasons before I rid you of my presence."

In truth, and unknown to Hanabi, the old black haired man was going to kill her regardless of whatever meaningless motives she possesses. Although she seemed to be a talented person and is an unknown survivor of the Hyuga House; a House that went _extinct_ for unknown reasons a little while ago, he needed her not right now. No, now he had to put in motion the last phase of his plan and culminate the decades of effort he put in it.

However, this was the very point that Hanabi was going to exploit.

"Well, how should I put this…?" The female Hyuga said with a thoughtful expression. "Hmm, I guess I'll be blunt. I am here in behalf of my sister to strike a deal with your organization." She declared proudly. However, it did have little effect on Danzo as the man did not show even the slightest amount of interest.

In fact, Hanabi was able to distinguish, albeit barely, a concentration of ethernano forming beneath her, slowly transforming into wood. "Oopsy, I probably should have mentioned that sister is one of the strongest women on Earth. Politically speaking, that is."

This triggered the response she wanted. Albeit three seconds later, and with spikes inches away from her throat, but that isn't the point.

THE point is that Danzo had taken the time to actually think on Hanabi's words before he pierced her to death and felt his lone eye widened ever so slightly in realization. The same thing happened to the rest of the room's attendants…If you can call holographic screens,bh that.

' _A female Hyuga who is among the strongest in the political domain? There is only one person I know that fit this profile…'_ Danzo mused, his eye narrowing once again as he gazed at the brown-haired woman.

"Hmm. Intriguing…" Orochimaru stated, figuring the identity of the person Hanabi was talking about.

"And how can we be positive of that? Do you have any proofs?" The helmet wearing man questioned, suspicion evident in his voice. This Hanabi may look a lot like the other Hyuga she dubs 'her sister', but it is nothing but empty words if it lacked any solid proofs.

"Nope, I don't. You can kill me right here if you want, but then my sister will not only be hell-bent on decimating you all, she will also get your nastiest secrets to public view. And I mean what I say. You don't want that, do you?" Hanabi said with a sweet voice that matched not the dangerous threat she had implied with her words. And to her credit, she had managed to let a taunting smirk daunt her lips even as the wooden spikes inched closer to her flesh.

Internally, however, she was wondering if her bluff would work on the old coot. Neither she nor her sister knew a single thing on Danzo except his name, the name of his organization; the Venoms, and the fact that he's, according to her sister, somehow related to two big criminal organizations that have been defeated in the past few years.

Still, Hanabi knew that he must have some very dark secrets he doesn't want to be discovered, and coupled with the great power her sister holds in her hands, she believed that it was enough to get the one-eyed man to agree.

And lucky her, it worked like a charm.

"I see…" Danzo stated slowly as the wooden spikes slowly receded back. He looked suspiciously at the brown-haired Hyuga before him before continuing. "If your claims are true, then I believe you would not mind some of our agents accompanying you back at the end of this meeting to act as witnesses to your statements."

"Uh…Sure, I'm ok with that."

"DANZO!" The scarred man raged. "Are you seriously going to believe the words of an unknown Hyuga who just infiltrated your base; especially when we have more important matters to discuss!?"

"Oh don't be mean, Mr. Pussy. My sister and I just want to offer help, and, personally, I believe you need it after the defeat of two major organizations that were on your side."

"Who told you this information?" The helmet wearing man asked with a menacing voice.

"Nobody important, but thanks for the confirmation anyway." Hanabi stated with a smirk as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ears. "Now, are we going to dig deeper in the terms of our alliance, or do you guys still have some other stupid questions you want me to answer?"

Danzo found himself thinking deeply as his lone eye bore into Hanabi. This was most definitely not the way he wanted this meeting to go, but on the other hand, the appearance of Hanabi and her unexpected "deal" were not without positive points. Mainly, it would give him a new ally, something he was in need for in these moments for the final phase of his plan to work. And even if it turned out to be a trap of some sort, he had many tricks up his sleeve to counterattack.

Seeing as the pros outweigh the cons and already formulating stipulations his head, Danzo nodded his head at the white eyed female. "What are your conditions?" Danzo simply asked, to which Hanabi grinned widely.

Her sister is going to like this a lot.

* * *

 **Magic Council, Fiore Branch Building**

This morning was quite tiring for Jiraya.

First, he was forced to listen to the Council's bitching about the Nighthawks 'assassination' of Jose Porla and other similar bullshit. Then he had been spying on Ultear and Siegrain so that he can appease the nagging suspicion he had that they were plotting something behind everyone's back, and if possible, get a new inspiration to his books, only for him to turn empty handed at the end. And last but not least, his unique red and green vest had been dirtied with coffee not once, not twice, but THRICE!

"Fucking coffee…" Jiraya cursed as he marched through the hallways of the Fiore Branch Magic Council's HQ, clad in regular Rune Knight's uniform that a rookie gave it to him when the white haired man accidently slipped coffee over his favorite attire for the third time.

Sighing lightly, Jiraya shook his head and stopped walking when he reached a slightly large golden door. It cracked open after a second and allowed him in, letting Jiraya enter his personnel chamber.

It was quiet a small and simple room, one that surely did not hint that its owner was a member of the Magic Council, containing a tiled floor, an average sized bed with a white pillow atop it, a desk in the room's corner and a big closet. One would think that given his position in the Council, his room would be quite extravagant and befitting of his title, but Jiraya couldn't care less about such trivialities.

Sighing again, the white haired man sat on a nearby chair, trying to clear his mind from the headache that plagued it. The last meeting sure had exhausted him. And all of it was just those old bastards bitching about how they should capture the Nighthawks mercenaries, an issue he heard about six fucking times this month alone. And in all honesty, Jiraya thought it was stupid.

Sure, the mercenaries were criminals, and with the recent news he got, they were probably even responsible of the assassination of Jose Porla, one of the Wizard Saints, but what about Fiore's own Dark Guilds and the Ballam Alliance? They were around long before the mercenaries and had been pretty active lately in all kind of transgressions, and yet the Council had fully ignored them for the last months in favor of pursuing international vigilante independent mages; a decision that Jiraya failed to see the reasoning behind it, and no one bothered to give him an explanation to it either…

 _'I'm starting to regret ever accepting this job. All I get from it is daily headache and less time to work on my books…'_ The white haired man thought as he massaged his temples and got up from his chair, slowly marching toward the closet that, upon opening, was containing numerous copies of his favorite red and green vests.

After changing his attire, Jiraya cracked his neck and proceeded to exit the door, only for his eyes to wander and lock on his desk. Or more accurately, they locked into a picture atop it.

It was a photo of a younger him and a slightly younger Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's Guild Master, along with two other persons who were around the same age. The first was a young blue-eyed and blond haired man with jaw length bangs framing each side of his face. He wore a simple white suit of clothing with green trimmings and a hood along with black pants, with a black headband around his forehead in which Fairy Tail's insignia was stamped. The other one was a beautiful young woman with a slender but feminine build, fair skin, violet eyes, and stunning red hair. She wore a short-sleeved tan kimono-like blouse with a dark embroidered border, held closed with a black sash, a dark short skirt and stockings that stopped at her thighs.

 _'Ah, the good old days…'_ A smile lit Jiraya's lips as he neared the picture, remembering the joyous life he once had.

It all started when Jiraya found the blonde haired man, once an orphan, and took him under his wings, bringing him to Fairy Tail back when he was a member. Then, in a few months of training, the white haired man was astonished by the potential the blond had and started teaching him all kind of techniques, all of who the blond aced through one after the other.

And before he knew it, five whole years has passed, and the blonde has become a solid S-class mage, something of which Jiraya was very proud. It was around this time that the redhead came. She was quite sad at first, he remembered, though she never said why. Then again, she didn't need to, because she quickly acclimated to the never ending ambiance of the guild.

But she got particularly close to his blond student, not that Jiraya minded. If anything, he always got a good laugh when he saw his student get all wimpy whenever the redhead is angry at him. He actually used the duo as an inspiration to his books more than one time, though it can't be said that he didn't get a hell of a judgment when he got caught. Sometimes even Makarov was on the receiving end with him, the geezer being a fellow pervert and a fan of his books.

And then the years blitzed, and the two quickly rose through the ranks to become a feared couple of Wizard Saints, something that almost ignited Jiraya's heart with pride.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, the Yellow Flash and Red Hot-Blooded Habanero, respectively; those two names were Jiraya's source of joy and pride for a good portion of his life.

That is, until the _accident_.

It happened twenty-five years ago, yet he can still remember it clearly as if it occurred yesterday. Both Minato and Kushina were engaged for about a year and some months and informed the guild that they would take a trip to visit a certain place. Jiraya asked to them join or at least tell him where they were going, but Kushina insisted that they must go alone and that they were visiting a special place.

Obviously, Jiraya did not like that answer, but against his better judgment, he let them be, knowing that they can take care of themselves. They were Wizards Saints after all. What could possibly threaten their lives?

That thought would come later to haunt Jiraya for many a year when, three weeks after Minato's and Kushina's departure, the guild had received news that their sunk ship into the oceans, as well as the fact that no survivors were founds. Jiraya and everyone else from the Guild denied that fact, with the white haired man going personally to investigate. However, even after three months of searching, no one was found, and the two Wizard Saints along with the small crew that accompanied them was presumed dead.

Overwhelmed with grief, Jiraya quit the guild, continuing the search from his side as he ventured all around the world, but luck was unfortunately not on his side. Hell, he even accepted the proposition to be one of the Magic Council members' a few years ago because he thought it would increase his chances to discover the truth about what happened to his student and his wife, but luck still refused to be of any help to the man.

That is, until the Nighthawks appeared.

Now, he wasn't as obsessive of them as the other Council Members except Siegrain and Ultear were, but he had a few questions that he wanted to ask one of its members; Namely, their leader.

Opening a drawer, Jiraya took a picture from it and stared at it intensively. It was a picture of a blonde haired man with similar blue eyes and hair color and style to Minato, but he had three whisker marks on each cheek that distinguished him from the Wizard Saint. Also, his face resembled Kushina, which was very bizarre in the white haired man's opinion.

From what his spy network could get, this guy, who appeared in the Kingdom of Bellum three years ago, is the leader of the Nighthawks mercenaries, going by the codename Fox ever since he appeared. However, he managed to find his real name two years and a half ago thanks to his skilled spies, and to say it was a shocker would be an understatement.

His name was Naruto; the same name he proposed to Minato and Kushina when they wanted to name their yet-to-be-born child, and the one they had accepted. And coupled with his striking resemblance to the two Wizard Saints, Jiraya refused to believe it was a weird coincidence.

He didn't want to inform the Council of this specific information, along with other things, because he wanted to at least have a neutral standing should he ever meet this Fox persona, and also because he himself did not want to deliver all of his information's to the Council. Of course, he couldn't have hidden everything from the Council, that would make them suspicious of him, but he tried his best. And if this person turns out to be Minato's and Kushina's son, then that would the least he could do for him.

 _'It's about time you pull yourself together, Jiraya.'_ The man thought as he replaced Fox's picture on the drawer and marched toward the room's door. _'You got work to do and a godson to find…'_

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later  
**

Sitting on her comfortable chair and protected by the walls of her mansion, Portia was stuck with the most hated enemy of any businessman on the whole world; Paperwork.

Piles and piles of paperwork.

 _'I swear; these monstrosities are going to be the end of me someday…'_ the purple haired woman thought with a small scowl. She sighed and eased herself on her seat, bored of the continued paperwork that she had to treat.

Gajeel and Juvia had visited her a while ago to inform her of the successful abduction of Jose Porla, and also the fact that they had left false proofs that would fool anyone into believing that Jose was killed. The purple haired beauty didn't thought such action to be necessary, but she didn't mind it.

After that, she had given her duo of spies their next mission: infiltrating Fairy Tail. It initiated quite the shock in Juvia and Gajeel, both who didn't understand why she wanted them to infiltrate the very same guild they helped destroy not even a day ago. She just hushed their questions and told them that she got her personal reasons, which was enough to convince them, even though they sure will have a hard time persuading Makarov Dreyar to accept them after what they have done.

Portia herself was not fully sure of her suspicions concerning the Fairy Tail guild, and that is exactly why she sent her best agents to investigate, wanting to keep a close eye on them and see if they have any relation to–

"Helloooooooo!"

 _'Oh Lord…Of all the people that could appear right now…'_ Portia thought with a scowl as a familiar white skinned person materialized in front her, literally sprouting up from the ground. "Why are you here, Zetsu?"

"Oh, you're so mean…" Zetsu whined, thought it was clear as day that it was fake. "I just want to pay a visit to little cute Portia. Where's the harm in that?"

Portia rolled her eyes at Zetsu's obvious lie. "Yeah right…You just want to _pay a visit_ …How believable…" Then, her red eye narrowed dangerously. "But seriously now, what do you want from me?"

"Oh well, I just wanted to chat a little with my favorite adoptive niece; especially after hearing that you took a liking to the captain when you met him a few days ago." Zetsu replied cheerfully.

"Captain?" the purple haired woman raised a delicate eyebrow in confusion. Since when did the plant-man before her had a _captain_? And when did she- Wait a second? Is he referring to…? "Are you talking about that blonde haired man with the whiskers, _Naruto_?" The name exited her mouth with a sharp edgy tone.

And although the question came from her mouth in an accusing tone, Zetsu replied in the most casual tone there is. "Yep. He's quite the strong fella, isn't he?"

 _'Well isn't that a surprise...'_ Portia thought drily. She had a sneaking suspicion that the green haired man before her was somehow related to him, especially after meeting the blond, but she lacked evidence back then.

She should have known better.

"And why in the nine circles of hell would _you,_ of all the people in this planet, join a random mercenary group? Care to elaborate?"

"They're fun to hang around with, so I decided to stick with them for a little while." Zetsu answered with a shrug.

Portia's lone red eye narrowed. Had she been anyone else, she might have considered the green haired plant-man's words to be reasonable enough. But for her, a person who was well-aware of his abilities and way of thinking, this excuse he presented was the lamest thing she heard in a long while. Besides, she had her own theory as to why he would hang around a bunch of vigilante mages. "Oh really? Then it does not have anything to do with the striking resemblance that Naruto person shares with father."

Zetsu's face became strangely stoical after her statement. "Why would you think that?"

"I am warning you, _thing_. Try to play the idiot with me and you'll regret it!" Portia threatened, a blackish-purple aura starting to surround her.

"My, you've gotten quite moody in these last centuries, Portia. At this rate, you'll get wrinkles." Zetsu joked, further antagonizing the purple haired woman. However, his features became suddenly serious as his gaze sharpened, losing all the goofiness it once held. "Still, I've gotta admit. I didn't think you would recognize the resemblance between Naruto and _him_. Actually, that makes it all the more easier for me to deliver the message I wanted to say."

That calmed Portia down a little, though only because she was more confused than angry. A message? From Zetsu? That sounded slightly surreal for her, if only because the green haired man had never sounded so serious in his speeches with her. _Never._ "And what prey tell that message may be?"

"You better prepare yourself for the next years. A real bad storm is coming and it will involve you and _the other one._ And I am not talking about that old coot Danzo."

These words that escaped Zetsu's lips and the seriousness that accompanied them caught Portia off guard, throwing her completely off the hook. "What? What are you talking about!?" she demanded as she got up from her chair.

At that moment, Zetsu regained his characteristic gleeful grin and answered cheerfully. "Oh you'll know in time. See ya!" The white skinned man declared as he instantly sank into to the ground, leaving a confused Portia to herself.

"...Sigh, great. It's the first time he visits in centuries and all he does is drop a damn riddle on my head." She said to herself before slumping onto her chair, her head facing the ceiling. She could've easily stopped him from leaving and asked him more questions, but she already knew it was all but futile. The damn _thing_ just refused to speak when he didn't want to, and would try all the possible ways to avoid answering. And when does answer, he codes the meanings in some very mysterious riddles.

 _'I should prepare myself for a bad storm, huh?'_ The red-eyed woman thought as she gazed forward, suddenly remembering the pile of paperwork that was stacked on her desk.

 _'Better wrap this one first…'_

Cue the tick marks on appearing her forehead.

* * *

 **Meanwhile – Near the Sound Land**

A dark blue sky filled with grey colored clouds loomed over the area as three birds sped through, skewering through the air at high speeds. Atop these birds, the Nighthawks members were sitting comfortably and watched the land below. Forests of green lavished the entire area, except only for a few spots where rocks had a much more notable presence. Rivers were also found in abundance, attracting all sorts of animals to drink from its reverberating flow.

It's been a few hours since they delivered the now dead Jose Porla to Portia's hideout, and after collecting the information they needed, they immediately took flight, wishing to get to the Sound Land first as fast as possible since it was the closer location. After all, the faster they moved, the bigger their chances are to capture Orochimaru, get to Danzo, and stop whatever plan he is going to initiate.

At, least, that's how Naruto saw it.

"Hey, Neji! Are we there yet?" the aforementioned blonde asked with a yawn.

He received a nod from the Hyuga. "Yes, we had arrived. Deidara, land on that cliff over there."

"Got it."

Almost instantly, the three giant birds that carried them changed course and dove down, managing to perform a perfect landing each in the very last second.

"Nice drift." Seventeen praised as the mercenaries hoped from the clay birds.

Deidara 'hmph'ed and moved a lock of hair behind his hair. "Hmph, an artist like myself is entitled to make every action as perfect as it can g- _BONK!_ "

The blonde androgynous man's sentence was cut short as he tripped over a small rock, his face meeting the rough ground in a harsh impact.

Seventeen couldn't help but sweatdrop. "Okaaaaay…"

Meanwhile, Neji was carefully scanning the entire area with his Byakugan, looking for any abnormal magic signature that could belong to someone like Orochimaru. Whether it was people, animals or objects, nothing escaped him as his lavender eyes moved frantically, checking every corner of the vast forestry before them.

"So? Did you find him?" Yahiko asked curiously.

"No, unfortunately. Though there's quite a few strong wizards in a village two kilometers north this position, no one among them is anywhere near S-class level. That being said, I noticed some sort of underground tunnels coming from the center of that village, and for some reason I can't see where they lead. A barrier or something akin to it blocks my Byakugan from seeing." Neji summarized as he deactivated his eyes.

"Hmmm, that seems problematic." Gaara said as he rubbed his chin.

"You bet. How do we know now if Orochimaru is there or not?" Roxas added.

"Better yet, how can we split up adequately and not end up six feet under?" Yahiko wondered as well, hands behind his head.

"Actually, I believe I have a solution." Seventeen stated as he dug his hand in his pockets. Everyone looked on curiously as the black haired man kept searching for a few more seconds before pulling…a small bag?

"What's that, Halloween's Candy?" Nero joked.

"Very funny, Mr. Devilish, but it is not." Seventeen answered casually. He then opened the bag and pulled a small device. "It's a transmitter, used for communication problems. Its range is limitless and can work so long as it is pumped with small doses of magic." He tossed one to Naruto, who caught it easily and looked at it with a fair amount of interest. "Now we can easily split up in whatever teams we want. That way, if the first team, who's gonna check that suspicious village Neji mentioned, find itself trapped, they can easily call for help and the second team will come ASAP."

"And what about the seconds team, where will be their reinforcement?" Naruto asked.

Seventeen thought about it for a second before shrugging. "Well, we ought to make it stronger since they won't be getting any."

"So that makes me in the second team already, being the pilot of this group." Deidara, who joined the conversation just as Seventeen began explaining, declared with a frown. "Damn I hate being second in anything…"

"Where did you get that thing anyway, brat?" Kakuzu asked, slightly curious.

"From Beltza. I saw them in her hideout and asked if I can burrow some. She didn't mind." The black haired man answered truthfully.

"So…" Naruto began as he pulled a map from inside his coat. "…This is what we are going to do. The first team, composed of me, Yahiko, Seventeen and Kakuzu, will head to that village and inspect it. Meanwhile, the rest of you are going to fly to Wave Land and search if Orochimaru is there. In case you find him, capture him and deliver him to Beltza. Don't bother coming back to pick us up; his capture and detention takes priority."

"And if we don't?" Roxas asked.

"Gather as much info as you and try to find out his location, and, if possible, Danzo's as well. The same goes for us." Naruto continued. "We will then regroup and head to the next lead. Any objections?" Silence.

"Good, now let's get moving, shall we?"

* * *

 **AND DONE!**

 **Phew, now that was something hard to write; especially the last scene. But this is where you guys come into the play. Tell me what do you think of this chapter?**

 **Like it? Leave a review. Hate it? Leave a review? Don't have an opinion? Leave a review…or don't…whatever suits you.**

 **On a side note, I'll start writing a piece of each character's backstory in a similar style to the first paragraphs in each paragraph. Would you like me to do that or do you mind it? Express your opinion in a review, or PM me, or don't…if you wish.**

 **IMPOTANT NOTE: Remember my poll about who do you guys want to be in the Nighthawks between Itachi and Obito? Well, you have until next chapter to give your vote, and just so you know, Itachi is winning by a long shot.**

 **Well, that's all for today. Happy New Year in advance guys!**

 **Neo Madara Uchiha, out! SEE YA LATER!**


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